Bob Archer looks at RAF Lakenheath, where the 48th Fighter Wing is continuing to transition from an all Eagle force to welcome the new fifth-generation capabilities offered by the F-35A Lightning II.
The 48th Fighter Wing (FW) at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, UK, is on course to become the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) largest strike fighter unit outside of the continental US. At the start of 2022, the Wing was comprised of the 492nd and 494th Fighter Squadrons (FS) equipped with 54 Boeing F-15E Strike Eagles, along with the 493rd FS ‘Grim Reapers’ operating 17 air defence version of the Eagle family, the F-15C/D.
The
