Combat aircraft

The ‘Chiefs’ had been forced to advance

stand-up plans as the USAF hurriedly

moved 48 F-15Es into theater. Despite

being the new metal in town, a lack of

LANTIRN (Low-Altitude Navigation and

Targeting Infra-Red for Night) pods saw

the F-15Es initially dropping ‘iron’ bombs

and using the jet’s AN/APG-70 radar to

hit strategic targets in low-level pop-

up attacks. As LANTIRN pods became

available the Strike Eagles switched to

medium-altitude ‘Scud’ missile-hunting

and so-called ‘tank-plinking’ against Iraqi

armor. The Seymour Johnson Strike Eagle

crews experienced heavy anti-aircraft

artillery  re in a theater that ultimately

provided a challenging litmus test of the

F-15E’s precision attack capabilities.

Fast-forward three years to 1994

and the Seymour Johnson wing was

expanding. The F-15E Formal Training

Unit (FTU) moved in from Luke AFB,

Arizona, and was rebadged as the 333rd

Fighter Squadron ‘Lancers’. It was a

continued period of change. Following

the departure of its resident KC-10A

tankers the 4th Wing became the 4th

Fighter Wing on December 1, 1995. To

accommodate a requirement to train

increasing numbers of F-15E aircrews, the

334th FS ‘Fighting Eagles’ transitioned

from an operational role to become the

second FTU from May 1996.

‘We have been a wing of  rsts,’ Sage

states proudly. ‘We had the most ‘kills’

of any  ghter group in World War Two.

In Korea, we had the most MiG ‘kills’. In

‘Desert Storm’ we were the lead wing —

we are all about being ready to be the

 rst to deploy when needed.’

Having  own the Strike Eagle since

1996, and with more than 1,100 combat

hours, Sage has seen the aircraft

mature considerably. He recounts his

 rst combat action in the F-15E during

Operation ‘Allied Force’ in 1999 while

he was attached to RAF Lakenheath’s

492nd FS. ‘We spent a lot of time on

that deployment taking out radars and

support equipment that was part of the

integrated air defense system that was

trying to shoot down our F-117s. I also

deployed for Operation ‘Iraqi Freedom’

in 2004 and 2006 where we  ew some

amazing sorties — stra ng high-value

targets at night at very low level. One

of my most memorable missions on

that deployment was when my WSO

[weapons systems o cer] and I were

sent to help an army unit that was

pinned down in downtown Baghdad

with a disabled vehicle. The guys on the

ground were taking sniper  re and for

two hours we  ew low-altitude passes

over the center of Baghdad. We were

popping  ares and we could literally see

them bouncing down the street.’

As commander of the 389th FS ‘T-bolts’

at Mountain Home AFB, Sage led his

squadron to Bagram, Afghanistan. The

unit had only recently converted from

the F-16 and, unusually, the entire

squadron of 18 jets deployed down-

range. ‘We  ew ‘24/7’ for almost seven

months,  ying with special operations

forces at night and with regular units

during the day. We didn’t miss a single

line [mission] during that deployment,

and that’s something I’m very proud of.’

Sage says preparing for a deployment

as a squadron commander is all about

getting the people ready for the mission.

‘That included building relationships

with the guys on the ground. The main

thing is bringing everyone back home at

the end of the deployment. I have to say

Inset: Col

Christopher

Sage is proud of

the operational

pedigree of

the F-15E, and

recounts a

mission from

‘Allied Force’.

‘We were on an

alert mission

where my  ight

lead attacked a

MiG-29. My WSO

and I attacked

and killed a

MIG-21 on the

same pass after

receiving video

imagery that

was downlinked

to us from a U-2

spyplane.’

Below: A team

from the 4th

Maintenance

Group spent a

month applying

the smart 75th

anniversary

markings to

serial 87-0189/

SJ, here leading

the formation.

FEATURE ARTICLE | 4TH FIGHTER WING

http://www.combataircraft.net January 2018

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