Airmen and F-15E Strike Eagles of the 494th Fighter Squadron and Aircraft Maintenance Unit at RAF Lakenheath, England, returned home from a deployment to the US Central Command area of operations earlier this month. While deployed, the Panthers flew a total of 1,651 sorties and dropped more than 1,700 bombs targeting ISIS as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, according to a base release. The Strike Eagles returned home Oct. 9, with airmen following Oct. 14. In addition to the fighter squadron and airmen, pilots, special mission aviators, pararescumen, and combat rescue officers from the 56th and 57th Rescue Squadrons, along with maintainers from the 48th Maintenance Group at Lakenheath, also returned from a deployment in late September.
The Space Force has tapped Boeing to build up to four new satellites for the critical nuclear command, control, and communications mission. The contract award, announced by Space Systems Command July 3, is valued at $2.8 billion for the first two satellites, with an option for two more, as part…