Locator: 50125USAF.
We were assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, 1986 - 1989, primary a/c, the F-111D. Right seat: WSO (weapons system operator).
Now, from wiki and Google Gemini (information from those sources are somewhat confusing and not necessarily accurate and/or current.
The 48th Fighter Wing (48 FW) is part of the United States Air Force's Third Air Force, assigned to Headquarters Air Command Europe and United States Air Forces in Europe.
It is based at RAF Lakenheath, England, near Cambridge, northeast of London.
The 48 FW is the only McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle wing based in Europe which hosts two F-15E Strike Eagle squadrons. [F-15 Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle designations used interchangeably.]
The wing also hosts two Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II squadrons. The 48 FW was given the name "Statue of Liberty Wing" on 4 July 1954 and remains the only U.S. Air Force unit with both a name and a numerical designation.
48th Operations Group
- four squadrons of F-35A & F-15E a/c
- squadrons: 492nd, 493rd, 494th, and 495th --
- 492nd and 494th: F-15E Strike Eagle, not the newer F-15EX Eagle II.
- specifically, the 492nd ("Madhatters/Bowlers") and 494th ("Panthers") Fighter Squadrons fly upgraded F-15E Strike Eagles;
- these are the only permanently forward-deployed F-15Es in Europe.
- F-15E Strike Eagles, some airframes feature the advanced Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS).
- 493rd ("Grim Reapers") and 495th ("Valkyries")
- are the premier USAF fighter units operating the F-35A Lightning II
- 5th generation capabilities
- the 493rd transitioned from F-15Cs to F-35A; prior to the F-15Cs, the unit operated F-111s, as did all RAF units in the 1980s
- the 495th was the first overseas F-35A unit (2021)
- F-15C/D retirement: the older F-15C/D Eagle models have been removed from service at RAF Lakenheath and returned to the United States.
- transition: the F-15Es at Lakenheath are being replaced by F-35A Lightning II aircraft
- with the 492nd and 494th squadrons transitioned in 2021, well ahead of the earlier proposed date of 2027-2028 (transitioned from the legacy F-15 C/D models
- planned 54 F-35As (about 14 a/c per squadron)
- this is a little confusing but Google Gemini says the first F-35As arrived
- December 15, 2021, 495th FS
- when I was there the 495th was the training unit; the other three squadrons, operational
- April, 2022, 493rd FS
- operational: as of 2026
