12 F-15E Strike Eagles from the 494th Fighter Squadron, based mostly at RAF Lakenheath underneath the forty eighth Fighter Wing, have been dispatched to the Center East.
After U.S. President Donald Trump pledged that “assistance is on its manner” to protesters in Iran, dealing with a violent crackdown from state authorities, quite a few what seem like further fight and assist plane deployments to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) space of accountability has been famous. The usAbraham Lincoln (CVN 72) provider strike group (CSG) has additionally been retasked from operations in southeast Asia to take up a place inside CENTCOM.
On Sunday Jan. 17, 2026, a complete of twelve F-15E Strike Eagles – backed up by two air spares – departed from RAF Lakenheath within the UK with tanker assist heading in direction of the Center East. Their arrival on station was confirmed by the U.S. Air Pressure on Jan. 18 with a picture of a 494th Fighter Squadron (FS) Strike Eagle touchdown at an undisclosed Center East base.
Geolocation based mostly on buildings seen within the background of the imagery – in addition to the locations of some C-17 Globemaster III flights more likely to be flying assist missions for deployed models – all however affirm the situation of this undisclosed base as Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan.
U.S. army reinforcements are steadily constructing at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
At the least 4 further USAF C-17A strategic airlifters have lately arrived or cycled via the bottom, alongside the deployment of F-15 fighters squadron and A-10 floor assault plane. pic.twitter.com/qmsThazSUe
— Egypt’s Intel Observer (@EGYOSINT) January 21, 2026
Muwaffaq Salti is without doubt one of the most continuously used bases within the Center East for U.S. fight plane deployments, having hosted F-15s, F-16s, F-22s and F-35 fighters in addition to MQ-9 Reaper drones. Notably, in addition to F-15E Strike Eagles, the bottom additionally presently hosts a detachment of A-10C Thunderbolt II assault plane.
One A-10 will be seen within the background of the F-15E picture launched on Jan. 18. The bottom’s location in Jordan supplies an excellent staging level for ongoing missions over Iraq and Syria in opposition to Daesh, and it appears seemingly the A-10s concerned in Operation Hawkeye Strike in December 2025 operated from right here. It ought to be famous that though tensions with Iran have heightened, U.S. assaults on Daesh forces have additionally seen an uptick and it may possibly’t be dominated out that this deployment is primarily meant for this objective.
A U.S. Air Pressure F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron lands at a base within the Center East, Jan. 18. The F-15’s presence enhances fight readiness and promotes regional safety and stability. pic.twitter.com/QTXgOsOozV
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 20, 2026
Of the F-15Es that left Lakenheath, it’s identified that one diverted into Chania Worldwide Airport, close to Souda Bay, Crete for unknown – presumably technical – causes.
Alongside the 494th FS plane, 12 extra Strike Eagles lately rotated via Lakenheath for onward journey to Jordan. These plane hailed from the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina. This was presumed to be a rotation, with the intent of relieving Mountain Dwelling AFB Strike Eagles that are already ahead deployed with CENTCOM, however no signal of those jets returning has been famous to date. Their deployment might have been prolonged, a minimum of for a quick interval, to offer further sources.
In addition to fighters, plane monitoring lovers have famous a gradual stream of each strategic airlift and refueling plane transiting to bases throughout the Center East. Some C-17s have additionally indicated their ultimate vacation spot as Diego Garcia, a base within the British Indian Ocean Territory that may theoretically current as an excellent, safe ahead base for sustained operations in Iran. Diego Garcia has had renewed airtime within the information as President Trump backed out of his earlier assist for the UK’s deal to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius with a view to resolve a longstanding territorial dispute. In return, the joint base – primarily utilized by U.S. forces – would stay underneath an preliminary 99 12 months lease.
Uncommon RAF Sortie
Curiously, on Jan. 16 – someday earlier than the F-15s departed the UK – a Royal Air Pressure Protector RG1 flew an uncommon sortie overhead Muwaffaq Salti AB. At round 12,000 toes, it appears as if the plane was appearing in an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability (ISR). Whether or not it was a part of a coaching train or not is unclear. Because the beforehand deployed RAF MQ-9A Reapers didn’t present on flight monitoring methods it’s inconceivable to know whether or not any such mission was flown recurrently earlier than, and we’re merely now simply seeing it for the primary time as a result of the brand new Protector plane do transmit ADS-B a minimum of a number of the time.
An RAF Protector over 🇯🇴 Muwaffaq al Salti AB? 🤨
🇬🇧 RFR7331 is RG.1 (MQ-9B) PR011 #43C973 pic.twitter.com/ennDAZ4jwy
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) January 16, 2026
The F-15E Strike Eagle
The F-15E Strike Eagle is without doubt one of the most versatile fight plane within the U.S. Air Pressure’s stock. Although the F-15A was fielded and marketed – “not a pound for air to floor” – as an air superiority thoroughbred, McDonnell Douglas have been assured within the design’s adaptability and commenced work on a strike fighter variant quickly after the primary Eagles entered service.
Profiting from conformal gasoline tanks (CFTs, also referred to as FAST (Gas and Sensor, Tactical) packs on the F-15) to realize further vary and some extra pylons for weapons or gear, and including a rear seat for a weapon methods officer (WSO), the F-15E ultimately received over opposition from air superiority purists and was chosen because the alternative plane for the F-111 Aardvark. The primary manufacturing Strike Eagle was delivered to the USAF in 1988, and over 200 examples can be procured.
Throughout 25 hardpoints, Strike Eagles can carry a staggering quantity of weaponry, as compared exceeding the entire payload weight of a B-29 Superfortress bomber. Virtually each weapon presently in U.S. Air Pressure service has been built-in on the plane, together with the specialist GBU-28 and GBU-72 bunker busters. The F-15E is the one tactical sized plane in U.S. service identified to be able to carrying these munitions.
Annotated facet view of F-15 carrying 5 B61 nuclear gravity bombs! pic.twitter.com/pF1oaGumeI
— Casillic (@Casillic) August 9, 2021
Throughout its service life, the Strike Eagle has proved its use each as a strike plane and as an air to air fighter. Famously, throughout Operation Desert Storm, an F-15E scored an air to air kill in opposition to an Iraqi Mi-24 ‘Hind’ helicopter utilizing a laser guided 2000 lb bomb. Air to air weapons just like the AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM are simply at dwelling underneath the Strike Eagle’s wings as bombs, and in latest instances the kind has additionally been one among a quantity seen to be carrying Superior Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rocket pods to be used in opposition to small, unmanned plane and weapons.
The F-15E was used as the idea for quite a few international customer-specific variants, together with the Israeli F-15I Ra’am, the South Korean F-15K Slam Eagle, the Saudi Arabian F-15S, and the Singaporean F-15SG. Regardless of it now changing the air to air fight devoted F-15C in service, the brand new F-15EX Eagle II can be based mostly on the Strike Eagle and is supplied with two seats and CFTs by default.
