Hauling eight inert 500‑pound GBU‑12 laser‑guided bombs, an F‑15E Strike Eagle wearing a camouflage scheme that echoes an F‑111F Aardvark roared through the Mach Loop on what the publisher recorded as its first flight in the new paint.
The sortie: route, payload and photographs
The specially painted F‑15E, serial 91‑0311 and assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, left RAF Lakenheath in the morning as EAGLE 31, accompanied by a wingman designated EAGLE 32. The pair refueled from a KC‑135 Stratotanker before heading to North Wales and then transiting the Mach Loop low‑level routes. From there, the EAGLE flight proceeded to the Holbeach Air Weapons Range north of Lakenheath, where the jet dropped eight inert GBU‑12s.
Photographs of the Mach Loop pass and the sortie were shared with TWZ by David Lister and Alec Walker and accompany the reporting.
Paint, markings and the memory of KARMA 52
The jet wears a two‑tone green and tan camouflage that recalls a 48th Fighter Wing F‑111F. Tail markings include the original 494th Tactical Fighter Squadron marking, a red band, the legend “40 years El Dorado Canyon,” the panther emblem of the 494th, an F‑111 silhouette and the 48th wing’s Statue of Liberty insignia. The nose radome, notably, remains in standard gray.
On the jet’s nose appears another F‑111 silhouette and the red inscription “Karma 52,” commemorating Lakenheath‑based F‑111F serial 70‑2389 — KARMA 52 — the only example of that type lost during the April 1986 Operation El Dorado Canyon raid on Libya. KARMA 52 had been armed with four GBU‑10 laser‑guided bombs and flown by pilot Capt. Fernando L. Ribas‑Dominicci and weapons systems officer Capt. Paul Lorence. The aircraft wreckage was never located after it came down in the Mediterranean; Capt. Ribas‑Dominicci’s body washed ashore, while Capt. Lorence’s body was never recovered.
Historic ties: Operation El Dorado Canyon and the 48th’s record
Two dozen F‑111s of the 48th Fighter Wing based at Lakenheath played a leading role in the April 1986 El Dorado Canyon strikes, which were conducted alongside Navy assets from the aircraft carriers USS America and USS Coral Sea. The raid was launched by U.S. President Ronald Reagan after the bombing of a West Berlin discotheque, which killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded more than 70 others; Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was blamed for the attack.
The 48th Fighter Wing at Lakenheath has continued to be tasked with a wide variety of missions worldwide, most recently noted in the source as Operation Epic Fury over Iran. The reporting records four combat losses of F‑15Es during that campaign, three attributed to friendly fire; the remaining loss prompted a complex combat search and rescue (CSAR) operation that resulted in the two crew being safely recovered.
Aircraft types, upgrades and basing posture at RAF Lakenheath
As reported, RAF Lakenheath hosts two squadrons of F‑15Es — the 492nd and 494th Fighter Squadrons — each listed with a primary aircraft assigned (PAA) complement of 26 aircraft, alongside the 493rd and 495th Fighter Squadrons flying the F‑35A. Lakenheath’s F‑15Es have been fitted with more powerful Dash 229 engines and were prioritized to receive the AN/ALQ‑250 Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS).
The F‑35A has been described as the first of the Air Force’s stealth jets to be based in Europe, and the reporting notes that F‑35As at Lakenheath were apparently provided with forward‑deployed B61‑12 thermonuclear gravity bombs.
What this means for the 48th Fighter Wing, Congress, and forward basing
- The 48th Fighter Wing: The heritage paint and the Mach Loop sortie underscore the unit’s historical continuity and its ongoing operational activity at Lakenheath, where F‑15E and F‑35A squadrons continue to operate side by side.
- Congress and policymakers: The Air Force, as of 2025, was planning to return its two squadrons of F‑15Es from Lakenheath to the United States; the reporting states that the F‑35A may take over the F‑15E role in Europe provided Congress approves consolidation of the Strike Eagles. The possibility of a significant boost to the planned F‑15EX Eagle II buy is noted as a factor that could alter those plans.
- Operational planners and aircrews: Upgrades such as Dash 229 engines and EPAWSS on Lakenheath’s F‑15Es, and the co‑location of F‑35As, shape mission planning and force employment options for missions both high‑visibility and routine.
The camouflaged Strike Eagle’s passage through the Mach Loop linked a visual commemoration of El Dorado Canyon and KARMA 52 to ongoing operational life at RAF Lakenheath — a reminder that heritage, hardware upgrades and force posture decisions remain visibly intertwined for the 48th Fighter Wing. Photographs of the flight and the aircraft’s markings were supplied to TWZ by David Lister and Alec Walker.
