F-15C's to Turkey

The Air Force will send up to a dozen F-15C to Turkey in order to bolster the combat air patrols (CAP) of US and NATO assets flying missions in and around Syria. Officially the line is that they are for ensuring the safety of American and NATO allies. However, the F-15C model is an air superiority fighter and designed for the air to air combat role and will likely be escorting strike packages into Syria and keeping Russian CAP fighter jets at bay.
This will be interesting to see how the Russians react to the addition of the Eagles in the area and if it will escalate or de-escalate the saber rattling on both sides.

....more likely, the F-15s will be escorting attack planes and bombers as they strike ISIS militants in close proximity to Syrian regime forces and the Russian warplanes that, since early October, have bombed ISIS and U.S.-backed rebels fighting the Syrian troops.

Seal declined to discuss the deployment in detail, but hinted at its true purpose. “I didn’t say it wasn’t about Russia,” she said.

www.thedailybeast.com...

Interesting move. They tested the C once upon a time as a bomber and it did surprisingly well, but it's never been used officially in that role. It's the only aircraft in the region that's purely for air superiority.

Why would they use f15's for that when the USAF has Raptors there?

As I understand it, the Eagle is a competent bomb carrier. ...and the Raptor has no peers in air superiority.

Seems odd that they'd do that.

Probably, even likely, I'm missing something.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I'm curios to see if the F-15's and SU-30's exchange radar locks.

What I would love to see is if a scenario like that happens, a Raptor sneaks in on the SU and pull and Iran F-4 routine.

a reply to: seagull

I don't know how many CAP fighters they have in the region but they may feel they don't have enough for how many sorties they are flying into Syria. The Raptors can't handle them all and the F-15 will ease that pressure a little and make statement to Russia.

a reply to: seagull

The Raptor is largely being used for other important missions, including air to ground. By using Eagles they free up the Raptors to continue that mission.

Part of this mission will include patrolling Turkish airspace, something the Raptors can't be tied up doing.

The C model is OK at air to mud, but not great at it.

a reply to: Sammamishman

Didn't think about how many Raptors they might have there... Forgot they didn't build all that many. ...and they can't all be there, can they?

Roll reversal not because they want to do it that way, but because they don't really have a choice.

a reply to: seagull

Hawaii is the current rotation of Raptors. I think they have 8 or 12 deployed.

Has US any right (UN decree or otherwise) to enter syria's airspace?

a reply to: glend

Technically yes. Isis is attacking Iraq from Syria. The US was invited into Iraq to help defend them from attack by Isis, which includes attacking them in Syria since that's where the attacks originated.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Thanks Zaphod58 you are a wealth of knowledge.

a reply to: Sammamishman

Better still if the Raptor could project a hand flipping the bird on the SU`s MFD screen right before the cockpit goes blank.

Id rather see this
Screen of death

Nothing special going on there to be honest. It is almost the same as it was in the 90's after Desert Storm was sort of over but never really ended. Northern Watch seems to have continued on from now on into infinity. Incirlik will always be a hot place when nothing else seems to be going on.

my speculation is that the russian kibney system plus sa-300 would readily spot and take down the f22 which would spell the end of the f35 boondoggle. the MIC will not risk it. by the way the incirlik base is just klicks away from the russian base at tartuffe..tartus and has already launched a couple f16s, blowing up Aleppo electric utilities. . so put in the f15c, a 45 year old platform.

a reply to: darkstar57

Because we all know stealth is really easy to counter.

F-22s have already been flying around both without any detection issues.

a reply to: Zaphod58

So Zaph you think they are gonna use these birds for A2G? Why? Surely there is something better/cheaper

I think I misread your OP actually, so they are gonna use them for A2A superiorirty. The ruskies sure have alot of airframes at Latakia is this a counterbalance?

a reply to: Bfirez

Mostly, yes. Any of the aircraft already there are capable air to air fighters, but right now they either have to pull some from the air to mud role to escort, or remove ordnance to put missiles on. This solves all the problems at once.

Six F-15Es from Lakenheath have deployed to Incirlik as well.

Dont the US already have the F-22 Raptor stationed there?

According to you Americans, one or two raptors would be enough to beat a fleat of Russian top of the line jets. The SU 30 and SU 34 would be childs play for the Raptor. So why do they have to send the F-15s?

The US/Turkey already out number the Russian airforce in Syria 20+++ to 1.