Middle East
SIX MORE F-15SAs for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) arrived at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, on the evening of July 29, on delivery to the Middle East. In landing sequence, the Strike Eagles comprised serials 12-1078, 12-1077, 12-1076, 12-1052, 12-1051 and 12-1050, using the callsigns ‘Retro 61 to 66’.
In March 2012, Boeing was awarded an US$11.4bn Foreign Military Sales contract to manufacture 84 new-build F-15SAs, plus associated systems and munitions. Deliveries got under way in December 2016 when the first two aircraft (accompanied by two F-15S conversions) were delivered via Lakenheath. Subsequent batches of new build aircraft followed in February 2017 (three), March 2017 (five), August 2017 (six), September 2017 (six) and December 2017 (six). Last year, four more transited Lakenheath in March, four in May, five in July, four in late September and four in December. Prior to the latest transfers, the previous six aircraft were flown to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to participate in Red Flag 19-2 before being delivered to Saudi Arabia in March this year.
End of the line for Sde Dov
THE ISRAELI Air Force’s (IAF’s) first air base, Sde Dov, near Tel Aviv, was closed down on July 1 after 71 y…
