Overview
- The 48th Fighter Wing’s camouflaged F-15E, which flew Thursday as EAGLE 31, carried eight inert 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided bombs.
- The jet took fuel from a KC-135, blasted through Wales’ Mach Loop low-flying route, then released the practice bombs at Holbeach Air Weapons Range.
- Its green-and-tan paint echoes 494th Tactical Fighter Squadron F-111s and includes red “KARMA 52” nose art honoring Capt. Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci and Capt. Paul F. Lorence.
- Photos from Stewart Jack, David Lister, and Alec Walker documented the flight, and reports listed the jet’s serial as either 93-0311 or 91-0311.
- The mission showed the Strike Eagle’s ability to haul many bombs on fuselage stations and conformal fuel tanks at a base that also fields F-35As, after 2025 reports of Air Force plans to return Lakenheath’s F-15Es to the United States.