5 Grim Reapers Depart Back To The States | Planespotting at RAF Lakenheath

5 F15C`s (Grim Reapers) depart back to the United States as the end of their operations in the UK, Only 4 Grim Reapers remain at RAF Lakenheath. The F15C has a single-seater cockpit and is more manoeuvrable than the F15E type, which are also based at RAF Lakenheath. In this video you will also see the morning departures from RAF Lakenheath plus a pair of F35`s arriving shortly after their departure.
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Equipment:
-Canon M50
-Sigma 100-400mm Lens
-Zoom H1n
-Tripod-Monopod-Benro A38FDS2
This Video Is Property Of SOUTHEND AIRPLANES and If Used With Out Permission You Will Be Reported! Thank You.

[@ADPeguero]

Man. Some of those F-15Cs are 36 to 38 years old. Wow. They still look way better than those F-35s.

[@gregmatthies8128]

But not nearly as capable as block 4 F35 my friend and yes they do look good though.

[@ADPeguero]

@@gregmatthies8128 No doubt. F-35s are a definite step up.

[@mitseraffej5812]

“ Horses for courses” If it comes to it the F35s will be the first ones in to make it possible for the F15s and others to do their deadly work.

[@gregmatthies8128]

@@mitseraffej5812 the whole point of the F35 they don’t need to “in there” they scan ahead, still unsighted and deliver and they most likely never knew they were there. The F15, F16 are all good looking machines and would do just about anything to go for a ride.

[@leedouglass9636]

Those aren’t c’s those are all strike eagles the e model

[@diosplit8215]

There is something awe inspiring watching this kind of footage about US air power!!! Great video!

[@matthewpayne42]

I remember when the F111 Fs left RAF Lakenheath back in the early 90s.

[@stevecurd3944]

i remember that aswell,i was at the 1992 Lakenheath Airshow when the newly arrived F-15E's displayed with the F-111's

[@mike.47]

I lived in Lakenheath village back then and remember the F111s thundering around the skys.

[@pgee8702]

Wow.. I was stationed there from 1997 to 2004, with the 493rd Reapers (Gold Section, we had the yellow tails)..was a weapons loader there and was on several deployments with the old birds there..sad to see old F-15s leave and the 93rd transition to the F35s

[@andrewireland7560]

Sad,sad end of an era my best F-15 eagle's the 493rd the "GRIM REAPERS" I will miss them 😥🤧💖

[@jamesfraser4173]

Love the sound of those ABs when they light off!

[@michaelashcraft8569]

I remember back in 1974 at an Airshow in Naval Air Station Oceana I first saw the F-14 Tomcat, I thought "it can't get better than this", could be, I was wrong, Hell I was just a Navy Corpsman then.

[@fredfletcher1370]

The USN corpsman rate is - based on our ship's "Doc" being an Independent Duty HMC - was one of my favorites.................

[@Mors_Inimicis]

Thanks for sharing 👍🏻 The last 4 (including 171) left today 27/4/22 . End of an era 🫡😢

[@ehmpiero]

yes, sadly

[@MikoyanGurevichMiG21]

The end of an era. Sad to see them go.

[@donlove3741]

Some planes just Look right! Mig 29 , Tornado , B707 , Concorde Typhoon.. F15 is one of those.

[@johnbernard6928]

F-4 Phantom

[@jimbyrne9071]

F 14

[@ShadowHawk4219]

True. SR-71, B58 Hustler, XB70

[@garyhicks2771]

B-52s are 69 years old and still kick ass when needed.

[@slappymcgillicuddy7532]

totally different airframe, and would get blown out of the sky in a next gen war

[@stevecurd3944]

fantastic footage & such a shame the F-15c is leaving

[@iosefotaylortupuanaiteomat3241]

NICE VERY NICE

[@kevinmorrison3710]

I was at lakenheath from 78 to 81 crewed the mighty f-111 f model 495th loved the place except the war games.

[@Supersonicff-dw6bs]

I hated war games to, but was also there for the OSI in 88. I crewed in the 493rd from 88-90.

[@ohareplanespotting]

Fantabulous!

[@genewalter5022]

Stationed a R.A.F. Upper Heyford in the 70's. We flew the F111E's and Lakenheath flew the F models. Nothing like the smell of JP4 in the air. All those mornings and nights sitting in the quick check truck at the end of the runway.

[@jeffsturges7434]

You just can't make this stuff up. This was really great!!

[@dryflyman7121]

Great footage and sound, thanks a million 👍

[@meertenwelleman6249]

Great report!

[@afcgeo882]

The remaining four F-15Cs departed RAF Lakenheath on April 27, 2022, destined for an Air National Guard squadron. RAF Lakenheath continues to host two squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagles, but the 493rd Fighter Squadron is now transitioning to the F-35A Lightning II, and the new 495th FS is already flying the F-35A. Only two F-15C squadrons remain in the active duty USAF, both at Kadena AB, Japan. The rest have been retired or reassigned to Air National Guard units.

[@mitseraffej5812]

In my career as an airline pilot I have flown with a few ex fighter pilots and I just don’t understand how they can settle into my brain dead occupation after doing this. Got to pay the bills I guess.

[@mikerobinson3899]

Yes

[@chenyenchengful]

It is fun to drive(fly) alone across the Atlantic. :)

[@rebelwithoutaclue8164]

Look close for GIBs

[@u2mister17]

Thanks George

[@michaelkaliski7651]

Apart from the F-35s, all those aircraft are older than the pilots who fly them!

[@chrismair8161]

I liked the Corsair 2 with the ability to go 4 20mm Cannons at intercept. Last of the Gun Fighters!

[@DukeCannon]

Does the ground crew fly back MAC, or do they have their own airplane? How much stuff do they bring?

[@chrismair8161]

Same Platform from the 1970 era. There is a reason an F-15 E can out dodge out range and not one has been lost in actual combat 1 Vs.1

[@drrichtofen7852]

Sad to see them go, they look much better then the f35. The F35 looks like a flying boat to me , its better but looks horrible.

[@tectorama]

Nice video. I wonder why they bothered to paint out their tail codes ?

[@jimbyrne9071]

Going to a guard unit

[@quicktastic]

I wonder what speed they cruise at crossing the North Atlantic? No restroom visits. 😯

[@tjay6279]

For all you fans out there ..its rumoured that campaign against nuclear disarmament..CND will be outside here on 21st May ..so beware if u got plans to come here as might be difficult to park...

[@tectorama]

Didn't know the CND were still about.

[@hadleymanmusic]

Upgrade?

[@toyotaandlexussupercharged6699]

Sheesh 🙄 how many F-15’s we got stationed on Lakenheath Air Base,England????

[@anthonyf.9170]

👍🇺🇸💪

[@museumjunkie9317]

I don't know why, but I just have never liked the f-35. I just can't seem to get on board with it.

[@andywilliams949]

Sad to see these guys leave I much prefer the F15 to the F35.does anyone know how how much life is left on these C models

[@LRRPFco52]

Those are F-15Es. F-15E served us well since the late 1980s. They're old, tired, and less relevant today due to modern IADS threats. We worked on them during their developmental years at Edwards AFB integrating GPS-guided bombs before they were even called JDAMs.

[@LRRPFco52]

Sorry, you were talking about the Grey Eagles. F-15Cs were built from 1978-1986. They should have been retired from 2005-2015.

[@afcgeo882]

The Charlie models, even the latest block, are past their original life spans, but through life extension maintenance they are planned to be in Air National Guard service through at least 2030, when they will go additional testing and consideration. Metal fatigue is the main issue at that point. Everything else can be upgraded or replaced. The original F-15 lifespan was 9,000 hours. Typically a fighter jet in active duty sees around 300 flight hours. Right now, the F-15C fleet is just over the 11,000 hour mark, on average. They were tested previously to be okay up to 15,000. The problem is that F-15s were never supposed to be around this long. The F-22 was supposed to have been made in much larger quantities and have already replaced all F-15Cs. That, however didn’t happen, and the F-35s were chosen to fill the gaps, while F-15s remain in service, with upgrades to include electronic combat interoperability with the 22s and 35s.

[@gregmatthies8128]

Sad to see them go but F35 a way more capable bird in just about every way and a plane for the future.

[@theraptorsnest5891]

@@gregmatthies8128 The F35 is untested in real world combat. It's really only seen combat once, in Israel. The F15 on the other hand has an almost unblemished career spanning decades long. You may choose all the bells and whistles, but give me a machine that's proven to get the job done, time and time again. More capable you say? Maybe on paper.

[@pauldittrich978]

Although the F-35 is an impressive aircraft, it is not now, nor will it ever be an air superiority fighter. F-15C, simply the best.

[@jrftworth]

It's a multi-role fighter which includes air superiority.

[@donlove3741]

Duh... Joint Strike Fighter...... F15 was designed for one mission F35 is a Swiss army knife. Two completely different beasts. F22 was designed for one mission , replace F15... then the bill came..

[@LRRPFco52]

F-35s humiliate the F-15C+ in all of its intended domains. Air Superiority is old school made obsolete by Air Dominance. F-35s demonstrate Air Dominance. New F-35A pilots led by mostly young former F-16C IPs flew out to Kadena and dog-raped veteran F-15C drivers who focus on nothing but A2A. They got zero BVR shots and had an unfavorable WVR ratio. That shouldn't be a thing for more experienced pilots even against a new platform, but since JSF is that good, it makes new pilots more lethal than veterans in very capable fighters.

[@jrftworth]

@@LRRPFco52 "Air superiority" and Air dominance" are essentially the same thing. The purpose of a modern day fighter is to shoot down enemy aircraft and control the sky over the battlefield. So call it what you will, they basically mean the same thing.

[@LRRPFco52]

@@jrftworth This is a common misconception where casual observers think we’re discussing the same thing. I’ll explain the differences: In Air Superiority, you count on a favorable exchange ratio that meets your equipment and manning requirements to be able to win a series of campaigns relative to your national objectives. With the F-15, the US had an acceptable 2:1 exchange ratio that was manifest early-on during the initial tactics development for the Eagle out at Nellis AFB against F-5E aggressors. In actual A2A combat, starting with Israeli Air Force vs Syria, they enjoyed ratios with no losses and scores of kills, but the primary factors in those outcomes were echelons of Electronic Warfare, AWACS control, the F-15’s APG-63, their own Python-3 HOBS missiles, and superior training. In the 1980s, the USAF watched as the Soviets developed and fielded 2 new fighters that were meant to counter the F-15 and F-16, namely the MiG-29 and Su-27. These fighters were given 10ft tall performance estimates, and USAF shifted the ATF program from a deep VLO interdiction/strike replacement for the F-111F, to an Air Dominance fighter that would significantly overmatch the Fulcrum and Flanker. Air Dominance meant they wanted such an unfair advantage, that not only would there be no counters possible with the existing MiG-29 and Su-27, but no possibility for them to catch up to ATF by upgrading the Fulcrum and Flanker over their service lives. Air Dominance required VLO/Stealth, and Omniscience, on top of superior kinematics. Omniscience would be achieved with an ELINT-Type Sensor Suite fused with an advanced AESA Radar, then data-linked via an LPI network between ATF that was undetectable. The contrast between Air Superiority and Air Dominance is pretty extreme. In short, it means there really isn’t a way for them to intercept ATF, whereas ATF would enjoy unseen BVR set-ups with no warning and atrit their fighters at will.

[@terrycole127]

5 ?

[@chrismair8161]

Better Butter Up.

[@maxandshakira]

What will be their fate?

[@dshingle6]

Reserves, Guard, foreign sales, static display and the bone yard. Some may see extended active life until all the 35s are deployed while others may see test bed work for while.

[@chriscallaway4027]

BUT, it does look like they are toting alotta fuel....

[@jrftworth]

They're flying across the Atlantic ocean, what do you expect?

[@davidvogel6359]

The C model were going to guard units so they would have 3 external tanks to deliver to that unit. The E models have conformal fuel tanks so don't need all the external tanks.

[@Banner_Bearer_of_Eternity]

It's time to go. From now on we're ruling this part of the world.

[@Banner_Bearer_of_Eternity]

@@bfc3057 Oh, no! You're really good, but I prefer women.

[@Banner_Bearer_of_Eternity]

@@bfc3057 Very nice self-hypnosis session. Keep inspecting your true self.

[@1XX1]

CAN YOU HELP IN ODESSA

[@TesterAnimal1]

Why didn’t they go to Ukraine?

[@afcgeo882]

No one there knows how to fly or maintain them and they’re just air superiority fighters, useless against ground targets and missiles. Also expensive to maintain and fuel.

[@jrftworth]

Why does everyone have to ask such stupid questions like why don't they give these to Ukraine?

[@clyntonramsay9057]

Great planes, I was in Torejon when delivered the first F-16 in 1980s.

[@chriscallaway4027]

Are you kidding? They are being retask and forward deployed. DUH!

[@afcgeo882]

They’re being reassigned to Air National Guard and some retired.

[@joecannes2421]

Sad, replaced by such an ugly bird

[@josephnewburgh8531]

Give them to the Ukrainians, better than mig29 maybe su27?

[@annoyingbstard9407]

They’d only sell them.

[@jrftworth]

No, stupid idea

[@dshingle6]

It would take years of training to get the Soviet style fighter pilots up to snuff in a Western fighter. The differences in just the cockpit are stark.