F-15s assigned to RAF Lakenheath, England, are surging flight operations, almost quadrupling the number of daily sorties while standing by for operations. So far in March, F-15s with the 48th Fighter Wing have flown up to 54 sorties per day, an increase from the regular schedule of 14. Pilots are getting between nine and 12 sorties per week—or what many pilots get per month—said Lt. Col. Jason? Zumwalt, the director of operations for the 493rd Fighter Squadron, in a release. To keep up with the pace, the wing is practicing hot pit refueling. “It’s great experience for the pilot to stay in the jet, get refueled, and do it again,” Zumwalt said. “The sorties are exhausting, and this training pushes pilots further, testing their limits, so they are ready at a moment’s notice and can successfully accomplish the mission.” On Feb. 19, Lakenheath F-15s joined unmanned aircraft in striking an ISIS training camp near Sabratha, Libya. The wing’s F-15s in November 2015 also deployed to help patrol Turkey’s airspace and conduct strike operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…