US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle warplanes stop off at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on their way home to Idaho after flying missions over Syria and Iraq

US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle warplanes have stopped off at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk after flying missions over Syria and Iraq.

The elite American warplanes are on their way home to Mountain Home base in Idaho after stopping by the UK base earlier this week.

US F-15E Strike Eagle jets, first built in 1989, have been involved in missions in the Middle East and have seen recent action in Syria and Iraq.

Lakenheath, which is 4.7 miles north-east of Mildenhall and 8.3 miles west of Thetford, hosts United States Air Force units and personnel.

+2

US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle warplanes have stopped off at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk after flying missions over Syria and Iraq

US Air Force aircraft, together with British, German and Italian warplanes, have recently taken part in a training exercise over the North Sea. 

Around 100 personnel and 38 aircraft, including F-16 fighter jets, participated in Wednesday's exercise, which aimed to 'sharpen combat readiness', said large force exercise planner Captain Nathan Hartoin.

Captain Hartoin, of 48th Fighter Wing based at Lakenheath, said the primary purpose of the exercise is to 'maintain a ready force capable of ensuring the collective defence of the NATO alliance'. 

He added that video calls enabled planning during the pandemic and further measures were in place to guard against coronavirus.

+2

The elite American warplanes are on their way home to Mountain Home base in Idaho after stopping by the UK base earlier this week

'Once we get out to the jets, there's a procedure for decontaminating the jets along with the pilot flying and then decontaminating after the flight as well,' he said. 

'Along with in-mission planning, we're able to maintain the space based on the size of the working area that we actually have, then we're able to maintain that space again via the video teleconferences across different bases.'

The drill involved F-16 jets from Aviano Airbase in Italy and Spangdahlem Airbase in Germany, alongside KC-135 Stratotanker refueller aircraft from RAF Mildenhall.

Military exercises over the North Sea and in the Baltics are likely to be related to rising tensions between Russia and the Western powers.

A spokesman for EuCom, the US European Command which co-ordinates military activity in Europe, said: 'We have not seen an increase in threatening activity from any potential adversaries in the European theatre; however, we continue to train and stand ready to counter any potential threat that may arise.'