The Thunderbirds plan to continue their aerial demonstration schedule. After reviewing safety procedures following the Aug. 20 incident in Chicago in which two of the team’s F-16s touched wingtips while in flight, dropping a missile rail from one Viper into Lake Michigan, per an Associated Press report, the T-Birds decided the group did not need to alter its routine. The team had cancelled its Sunday show in Chicago but now plans to fly this weekend in Westfield, Mass.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.