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November 15, 2007 By Bryan Mitchell, Stars and Stripes
RAF LAKENHEATH, England — The Air Force rescinded a grounding order on some of its F-15s Wednesday, sending a fighter jet squadron in Afghanistan back on combat sorties and squadrons in the United Kingdom back onto their training regimen.
The F-15Es can return to flight after a one-time 13-hour inspection, according to Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Bentley. All other models remain grounded.
“Some of our planes are flying here,” said 455th Air Expeditionary Wing spokesman Capt. Michael Meridith from Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
The latest grounding was ordered last week after the Nov. 2 crash of an F-15C from the Missouri Air National Guard. The crash was the second involving a Missouri Air National Guard F-15 this year.
The pilot was engaged in a dog fighting exercise at speeds of up to 500 mph when the accident occurred. He ejected safely and suffered minor injuries.
The order grounded the aging fleet of more than 700 F-15s across the United States and at Lakenheath, where the 48th Fighter Wing is based. The wing has the only contingent of F-15s in U.S. Air Forces Europe.
It’s unclear if the Air Force determined what caused the crash, but officials have acknowledged the plane suffered structural problems and broke apart in flight.
“They can’t give us anything partial from the investigation,” Bentley said.
RAF Lakenheath is home to three F-15 squadrons, which includes approximately 83 F-15s that fly an average of 60 sorties a day.
During the grounding, pilots and weapons systems officers at the 48th Fighter Wing focused on studying and preparing for the ongoing NATO Operations evaluation while the maintenance crews attempted to work ahead on scheduled overhauls, RAF Lakenheath officials said last week.
The first F-15 rolled off the McDonnell Douglas production line and launched into the skies in 1972. Upgrades and modifications have significantly altered the aircraft.
The F-15 is one of the primary aircraft used by the Air Force in Afghanistan to provide close-air support to coalition troops serving across the Texas-sized nation.
The Lakenheath-based 492nd Fighter Squadron recently returned from a four-month tour of Bagram Air Base, in which it engaged in nearly daily combat sorties and employed roughly 1,000 munitions.
Saudi Arabia, Japan and Israel also maintain individual fleets of F-15s.
The move to lift the order ended the longest grounding for the F-15 since 1983, when a defective component found on a fighter jet at Langley Air Force Base, Va., led to a similar long-term grounding, according to the Air Force.
The Air Force bought its last F-15 in 2004 and has long-term plans to eventually replace the fighter jet with the F-22, which has yet to be deployed on combat missions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
November 15, 2007 By Bryan Mitchell, Stars and Stripes
RAF LAKENHEATH, England — The Air Force rescinded a grounding order on some of its F-15s Wednesday, sending a fighter jet squadron in Afghanistan back on combat sorties and squadrons in the United Kingdom back onto their training regimen.
The F-15Es can return to flight after a one-time 13-hour inspection, according to Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Bentley. All other models remain grounded.
“Some of our planes are flying here,” said 455th Air Expeditionary Wing spokesman Capt. Michael Meridith from Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
The latest grounding was ordered last week after the Nov. 2 crash of an F-15C from the Missouri Air National Guard. The crash was the second involving a Missouri Air National Guard F-15 this year.
The pilot was engaged in a dog fighting exercise at speeds of up to 500 mph when the accident occurred. He ejected safely and suffered minor injuries.
The order grounded the aging fleet of more than 700 F-15s across the United States and at Lakenheath, where the 48th Fighter Wing is based. The wing has the only contingent of F-15s in U.S. Air Forces Europe.
It’s unclear if the Air Force determined what caused the crash, but officials have acknowledged the plane suffered structural problems and broke apart in flight.
“They can’t give us anything partial from the investigation,” Bentley said.
RAF Lakenheath is home to three F-15 squadrons, which includes approximately 83 F-15s that fly an average of 60 sorties a day.
During the grounding, pilots and weapons systems officers at the 48th Fighter Wing focused on studying and preparing for the ongoing NATO Operations evaluation while the maintenance crews attempted to work ahead on scheduled overhauls, RAF Lakenheath officials said last week.
The first F-15 rolled off the McDonnell Douglas production line and launched into the skies in 1972. Upgrades and modifications have significantly altered the aircraft.
The F-15 is one of the primary aircraft used by the Air Force in Afghanistan to provide close-air support to coalition troops serving across the Texas-sized nation.
The Lakenheath-based 492nd Fighter Squadron recently returned from a four-month tour of Bagram Air Base, in which it engaged in nearly daily combat sorties and employed roughly 1,000 munitions.
Saudi Arabia, Japan and Israel also maintain individual fleets of F-15s.
The move to lift the order ended the longest grounding for the F-15 since 1983, when a defective component found on a fighter jet at Langley Air Force Base, Va., led to a similar long-term grounding, according to the Air Force.
The Air Force bought its last F-15 in 2004 and has long-term plans to eventually replace the fighter jet with the F-22, which has yet to be deployed on combat missions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.