STRIKE EAGLE SQUADRON // 492ND FS ‘BOLARS
The F-15E is an irreplaceable asset for the USAF and has received a rolling series of upgrades, with more to come.
MAINTAINING A HIGH level of readiness means that Lakenheath’s Strike Eagle crews are available and on call as and when required. As well as being an enduring asset for the US Air Forces in Europe, they are also something of an emergency response force in the region.
This has manifested itself in regular combat deployments as well as ad hoc long-range missions to strike timesensitive targets. ‘The forward presence of USAFE-AFAFRICA (US Air Forces in Europe — Air Forces Africa) allows us to provide timely, decisive air assets and support to meet emerging challenges and execute missions across Europe and Africa’, said a news release in 2015.
History and combat action are intrinsically linked to the 48th Fighter Wing. Walking the halls of the 492nd FS, one is immediately struck by the fact that when duty calls, leaders turn to the 48th. ‘Desert Storm’, ‘Allied Force’, ‘Enduring Freedom’, ‘Odyssey Dawn’, ‘Inherent Resolve’ — these are just a handful of the more recent operations in which the wing has played crucial roles.
The Strike Eagles may be old, bu…
