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Lakenheath F-15E Strike Eagles Deploy to the Middle East

FlyMarshall NewsroomBy No Comments7 Mins Read

12 F-15E Strike Eagles from the 494th Fighter Squadron, based at RAF Lakenheath under the 48th Fighter Wing, have been dispatched to the Middle East.

After U.S. President Donald Trump pledged that “help is on its way” to protesters in Iran, facing a violent crackdown from state authorities, a number of what appear to be additional combat and support aircraft deployments to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility has been noted. The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) carrier strike group (CSG) has also been retasked from operations in southeast Asia to take up a position within CENTCOM. 

On Sunday Jan. 17, 2026, a total of twelve F-15E Strike Eagles – backed up by two air spares – departed from RAF Lakenheath in the UK with tanker support heading towards the Middle East. Their arrival on station was confirmed by the U.S. Air Force on Jan. 18 with an image of a 494th Fighter Squadron (FS) Strike Eagle landing at an undisclosed Middle East base.

Geolocation based on buildings visible in the background of the imagery – as well as the destinations of some C-17 Globemaster III flights likely to be flying support missions for deployed units – all but confirm the location of this undisclosed base as Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. 

Muwaffaq Salti is one of the most frequently used bases in the Middle East for U.S. combat aircraft deployments, having hosted F-15s, F-16s, F-22s and F-35 fighters as well as MQ-9 Reaper drones. Notably, as well as F-15E Strike Eagles, the base also currently hosts a detachment of A-10C Thunderbolt II attack aircraft.

One A-10 can be seen in the background of the F-15E image released on Jan. 18. The base’s location in Jordan provides an ideal staging point for ongoing missions over Iraq and Syria against Daesh, and it seems likely the A-10s involved in Operation Hawkeye Strike in December 2025 operated from here. It should be noted that although tensions with Iran have heightened, U.S. attacks on Daesh forces have also seen an uptick and it can’t be ruled out that this deployment is primarily intended for this purpose. 

Of the F-15Es that left Lakenheath, it’s known that one diverted into Chania International Airport, near Souda Bay, Crete for unknown – presumably technical – reasons. 

Alongside the 494th FS aircraft, 12 more Strike Eagles recently rotated through Lakenheath for onward travel to Jordan. These aircraft hailed from the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina. This was presumed to be a rotation, with the intent of relieving Mountain Home AFB Strike Eagles which are already forward deployed with CENTCOM, but no sign of these jets returning has been noted so far. Their deployment may have been extended, at least for a brief period, to provide additional resources.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle conducts combat air patrols over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 9, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Willis)

As well as fighters, aircraft tracking enthusiasts have noted a steady stream of both strategic airlift and refueling aircraft transiting to bases across the Middle East. Some C-17s have also indicated their final destination as Diego Garcia, a base in the British Indian Ocean Territory that would theoretically present as an ideal, secure forward base for sustained operations in Iran. Diego Garcia has had renewed airtime in the news as President Trump backed out of his earlier support for the United Kingdom’s deal to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius in order to resolve a longstanding territorial dispute. In return, the joint base – primarily used by U.S. forces – would remain under an initial 99 year lease. 

Unusual RAF Sortie

Curiously, on Jan. 16 – one day before the F-15s departed the UK – a Royal Air Force Protector RG1 flew an unusual sortie overhead Muwaffaq Salti AB. At around 12,000 feet, it seems as if the aircraft was acting in an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capacity (ISR). Whether it was part of a training exercise or not is unclear. As the previously deployed RAF MQ-9A Reapers did not show on flight tracking systems it’s impossible to know whether this type of mission was flown regularly before, and we are simply now just seeing it for the first time because the new Protector aircraft do transmit ADS-B at least some of the time. 

The F-15E Strike Eagle

The F-15E Strike Eagle is one of the most versatile combat aircraft in the U.S. Air Force’s inventory. Though the F-15A was fielded and marketed – “not a pound for air to ground” – as an air superiority thoroughbred, McDonnell Douglas were confident in the design’s adaptability and began work on a strike fighter variant soon after the first Eagles entered service. 

Taking advantage of conformal fuel tanks (CFTs, also known as FAST (Fuel and Sensor, Tactical) packs on the F-15) to gain additional range and a few more pylons for weapons or equipment, and adding a rear seat for a weapon systems officer (WSO), the F-15E eventually won over opposition from air superiority purists and was selected as the replacement aircraft for the F-111 Aardvark. The first production Strike Eagle was delivered to the USAF in 1988, and over 200 examples would be procured.

Across 25 hardpoints, Strike Eagles can carry a staggering amount of weaponry, in comparison exceeding the total payload weight of a B-29 Superfortress bomber. Almost every weapon currently in U.S. Air Force service has been integrated on the aircraft, including the specialist GBU-28 and GBU-72 bunker busters. The F-15E is the only tactical sized aircraft in U.S. service known to be capable of carrying these munitions. 

During its service life, the Strike Eagle has proved its use both as a strike aircraft and as an air to air fighter. Famously, during Operation Desert Storm, an F-15E scored an air to air kill against an Iraqi Mi-24 ‘Hind’ helicopter using a laser guided 2000 lb bomb. Air to air weapons like the AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM are just at home under the Strike Eagle’s wings as bombs, and in recent times the type has also been one of a number seen to be carrying Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rocket pods for use against small, unmanned aircraft and weapons. 

The F-15E was used as the basis for a number of foreign customer-specific variants, including the Israeli F-15I Ra’am, the South Korean F-15K Slam Eagle, the Saudi Arabian F-15S, and the Singaporean F-15SG. Despite it now replacing the air to air combat dedicated F-15C in service, the new F-15EX Eagle II is also based on the Strike Eagle and is equipped with two seats and CFTs by default.


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