LN Strike Eagles going home

[Vulcanone]

Correct. They had used up pretty much all their remaining Fatigue Index

[Vulcanone]

I think you'll find it's everything to do with politics.

The F-16s, A-10s that still fly in the US and the ex USAF F-4s which are still flying in Turkey and Greece you mean? Nothing to do with the age of the aircraft. Germans and Italians still flying Tornadoes years after the RAF retired them, when you start thinking about it, the examples go on and on.

Coltishall closing was literally a Labour decision in a Conservative heartland. How much longer did the Jaguar's keep flying after they left their Norfolk home, which was just as viable as them being at Coningsby.

Not wanting to question this, but I'm pretty sure I read something (memory won't tell me what) that said the RAF Tornadoes were retired because they had more airframe hours after accelerated use through deployments to the Gulf, Afghanistan etc The Germans and Italians perhaps didn't fly theirs as much or deploy as much?

I don't know.

Just like last year (or maybe the year before) at one of the Belgian Airshows a BAF F-16 flew its last sortie as it had no remaining FI... Only the US tends to extend their Fast Jets FI life nowadays. F-16 MLU for the 4 original users. And the USAF CCIP Aussie F/A-18 centre barrel replacement and Tornado GR.4 MLU spring to mind.

I have no idea what the FI on F-22 or F-35 is....