Lakenheath Restructuring Update

摘要

Further to the report in last month's issue about the US military's European Infrastructure Consolidation announcement on January 7, Aviation News contacted the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, for clarification on the future make-up of the base - specifically, whether the 48 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning Ils arriving from 2020 were to replace, or be in addition to, the currently resident Boeing F-15E Strike Eagles. A spokesman at the base said: "The European Infrastructure Consolidation does not mention any adjustments to the current fleet of RAF Lakenheath aircraft." When pressed on this statement, he said the base had not heard of any upcoming changes to its F-15 fleet. The 493rd Fighter Squadron and its F-15C Eagles had been due to disband last year, though the decision was reversed due to the tensions with Russia over Ukraine -and the aircraft are likely to remain as long as the situation remains unstable.