The demilitarization process puts an end to the operational life of a aircraft that had served as the maintenance training platform in England.
At the Raf Lakenheathin England, a hunt F-15B Eagle dell’Air Force of the United States It was officially withdrawn from the service and destroyed in a process that makes it definitively unusable.
Last month, a contractor performed the demilitarization on behalf of 48th Maintenance Groupusing heavy machinery to crush and dismantle the fuselage. The plane had been used as a training platform on the ground, allowing technicians to practice in procedures without the risks and costs related to work on operational aircraft.
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With the conclusion of its training function, it was decided to dismantle it instead of sending it to long -term storage. The process provides for the destruction of the fuselage and the key components to prevent the plane from flying again, unlike the traditional method that involves sending the abandoned aircraft in the so -called “planes cemeteries”, where many are kept for recovery of parts or possible reactivation.
L’F-15B Eagletwin hunt developed by McDonnell Douglas (today Boeing), is an icon of combat aviation since the 70s, having served both in USAF both in allied air force. Despite the gradual replacement with more modern variants, the model remains in active service in some countries.
According to the 48th Maintenance Group, the demilitarization in the base follows rigorous protocols to ensure the removal or destruction of all sensitive systems, recovering recyclable materials whenever possible.
The dismantling of the F-15B marks the end of its support role in the training mission of RAF Lakenheath. The base, seat of the 48th Fighter Wingcontinues to operate cutting -edge aircraft like theF-15E Strike Eagle and the most recent F-35A Lightning IIwhile more dated platforms such as the F-15B are completely withdrawn.
A LN Tail marked F15-B (Pictured, 76-124) and F15-C 84-001, both remain at RAF Lakenheath and have been used as Instructional airframes. As far as I know, mainly as training aircraft exclusive for technicians/MX.
They have been used for other training scenarios too 👇 pic.twitter.com/K2kfCvt65L
— Strix Photos (@StrixPhotos) June 25, 2025
Source and images: Defence Blog | X @defence_ida | X @strixphotos. This content was created with the help of the AI and reviewed by the editorial staff.
