RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

[Tronk 11]

The local news said that Lakenheath will get 2 more squadrons! Now I know the media aren't the best at reporting but 2 more squadrons on top of what they have? 5 Fighter Squadrons. It would make sense that 1,200 extra personnel. The 56th RQS is a different proposition. They won't have anything to refuel it, & they do quite a bit of it.

[Skip]

wouldn't it be nice to have Air Fete 2020, just for old times sake and as a final farewell

[reheat]

Just finished watching a dvd my lad got me for Christmas called 'The Best of Mildenhall Airshow '1988-1995. How ironic! Such sad times.

[das]

So,is it 2 x F35 squadrons + 3 X F15 squadrons as suggested on lookeast or just 2 x F35 squadrons in the future ?

[Jammo]

When is it gonna close ??? Need to get down before it dose ! Sad news

Think it'll be a few years yet, maybe 5 years.

[reheat]

Who will refuel the LK F35s if Mildenhalls finest go to Germany, or will they track back and forth to/from Germany to /from the U.K. AARAs ?

[BOLLO]

The Raf rc's have had issue after issue including problems with aar by what I have been told. For cost it has been cheaper for the Raf to give them enough gas to get to hall then top up. By what someone at waddington says it's a but of a lost cause without mildenhall

Care to tell us what they were since you know about these "problems" then ??

[usafe]

To be honest, Obama and his Democrats will be gone in two years and a lot can happen, This can be reversed by the Republicans I'm sure.
We will wait and see, lets start the campaign asap.

[bizfreeq]

Read the thread, their fate is in here a page or so back

[welshandy]

I wonder if the ospreys will go to the heath

As I understand it. The 352nd Special Operations Group, currently located at RAF Mildenhall. will move to Spandgdahlem AB. This will include the CV-22s and MC-130J aircraft

[Mo]

If I were a betting man, I'd say:

493rd to remain on F-15C/D til early 2017, standing up again in 2020 on F-35.
492d & 494th F-15Es to stay pending the long term USAF future of the Strike Eagle force.
495th to stand up on F-35 in 2021.
Lockheed Martin hub to be established in 2020.

Just my thoughts.

Cheers!
Mo

[Rainbow 6]

Very sad day. For all concerned and the end of an era for all.

Just been reading this stuff and Lakenheath is getting an extra 1,200 personal, this may mean that the F-15E's are staying. By the time the F-35 turns up at Lakenheath, the F-15C's operated by the 493rd FS would be pretty much out of service.
Doing a bit of reading the size of a USAF fighter squadron is between 400 and 700 airmen. Also if the F-15E's were going I would expect further decreases as F-15E squadron must be larger than an F-15C squadron as the F-15E has an extra man on board so there would be a decease there as well, so we have an extra 1,200 people coming over plus what is left over from the disbandment of the 493rd that would give pretty close to 2,000 people extra over what should be needed by the 48th FW Which would lead me to think that the F-15E's are staying and will work along side the F-35.

Just a thought

Isnt the service hub for the F-35's in Europe going to be base in Italy?

[Tronk 11]

I wonder if the 2 sqns of F-35 will replace the 493rd FS & the 480th FS F-16 at Spang. There is just not the right amount of space at Lakenheath, although the 56th RQS may have to relinquish their HAS's as there isn't enough HAS's for 2 F-15 & F-35 units (the 492 & 494th take up 42 HAS's and there are only 82 on the base, if the 48 F-35's turn up they are 8 short! .
The F-15's will be old, plus a single FS at Spang is a lonely figure that may get the chop. Personally I think it will be the 2 F-15E units plus 2 F-35 units at Lakenheath (cutting the amount to fit the HAS's available).

You may get a tanker or two form the 100th TDY at Lakenheath for local stuff, but Germany isn't so far away to support these guys, plus they'll be doing refuelling tor the 352nd in Germany. The 100th TDY quite a bit across Europe.

The guy with the scanner wont miss too much, I've been doing the scanning thing for a few years now, & LN has a lot more activity than Mildenhall did. I'll really miss the AFSOC guys, but radio wise it was slowly tailing off as technology developed and UHF wasn't used as much. You don't hear many UHF/VHF ops calls to Mildenhall anymore, Lakenheath do it all of the time.

I guys Sculthorpe may loose some of its night time activity too.

[The_Edge]

Hi Guys,
Like everyone Im saddened to hear the closure news.And I hope that people manage to find alternative employment.

Just a thought guys..I wonder if they will organise a Goodbye Air Fete?..would be a nice way to say goodbye to the UK.

Regards

Gary

[welshandy]

[quote="Rainbow 6"]Very sad day. For all concerned and the end of an era for all.

Just been reading this stuff and Lakenheath is getting an extra 1,200 personal, this may mean that the F-15E's are staying. By the time the F-35 turns up at Lakenheath, the F-15C's operated by the 493rd FS would be pretty much out of service.
Doing a bit of reading the size of a USAF fighter squadron is between 400 and 700 airmen. Also if the F-15E's were going I would expect further decreases as F-15E squadron must be larger than an F-15C squadron as the F-15E has an extra man on board so there would be a decease there as well, so we have an extra 1,200 people coming over plus what is left over from the disbandment of the 493rd that would give pretty close to 2,000 people extra over what should be needed by the 48th FW Which would lead me to think that the F-15E's are staying and will work along side the F-35.

If that turns out to be correct the Regulars in the "Loop" and the other LFA's are going to get some great photo opportunities.

[TankBuster]

I had a flick through these old Air Fete images which are on the local rag's website! Can you spot yourselves in the crowds?..

http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/mildenhall_a ... =1.3910406


TankBuster

[venom]

totaly agree very sad news but you still hve lakenheath
colin

[Pete_uk]

Sad news, but hopefully we will still have a good USAF presence which I feel is needed once again. No disrespect to the mighty RAF who are still the best

[nigelblake]

I think you should be betting on it Mo, I agree with your projected thoughts 100%

[GhostFlight91]

Boy am I glad I bought this

Whats the size of this in cm mate? Thinking of getting one myself