Lakenheath's first Eagle to achieve 10.000 flight hours

On 28 July 2023, F-15E Strike Eagle 91-0308, assigned to RAF Lakenheath's 492nd Fighter Squadron "Bolars", became the first F-15 assigned to RAF Lakenheath to achieve the milestone of 10.000 flight hours.

Arriving on 17 September 1992, "308" has been part of Lakenheath's 48th Fighter Wing for the last 31 years. While being assigned to the "Liberty Wing", "308" has flown over 4.100 sorties and has been through more than 20 phase inspections.

The original service life, when the aircraft was designed by McDonnel Douglas, was only about 8.000 flight hours. Only 86 of the more than 800 (all variants) USAF F-15ss have hit 10.000 flight hours. "308" is only one of 53 Strike Eagles to hit this milestone and the very first F-15 of any variant to do so while assigned to RAF Lakenheath.

Dating back to 2009, "308" has been involved in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF, Afghanistan) and Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR, Iraq/Syria). Having flown for multiple operations since 1992, the last one, flying from Jordan soil, was in support of OIR from April to October 2021.

Photo by Hans van Herk