USAF F-15E Deployment to the Middle East Expands on D+2 — Reinforcements Signal Sustained Air Campaign

Six additional USAF F-15E Strike Eagles departed RAF Lakenheath this morning for the Middle East under Coronet 045E, marking D+2 of Operation Lions Roar / Epic Fury.

The TABOR 61–66 flight, supported by KC-135 and KC-46 tankers from the UK and Germany, crossed Southern Europe en route to CENTCOM. The movement confirms that the U.S. air buildup is continuing rather than stabilizing — a key indicator that the campaign is not winding down.

At 0905z on 2 March, seven F-15Es associated with the rotation were tracked, including one airspare that returned to base.

The aircraft involved:

McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle (7x)
“SJ” 87-0193 – TABOR 61
“SJ” 88-1704 – TABOR 62
“SJ” 89-0505 – TABOR 63
“SJ” 90-0229 – TABOR 64
“SJ” 87-0177 – TABOR 65
“SJ” 88-1670 – TABOR 66
“MO” 87-0209 – TABOR 25

Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker (reg. 57-1440 – c/s GOLD 05) from RAF Mildenhall

Boeing KC-46A Pegasus (reg. 21-46095 – c/s GOLD 06) from Ramstein AB

TABOR 25 appears to have acted as an airspare and has since returned to RAF Lakenheath, while the remaining six aircraft continued southeast.

The routing once again highlights the structured transatlantic deployment model. GOLD 05 launched from RAF Mildenhall while GOLD 06 departed Ramstein, creating a layered refueling corridor across Western and Southern Europe.

This dual-tanker support model reduces vulnerability and increases operational flexibility. It also ensures that strike aircraft arrive in theater with full mission capability rather than merely transit status.