Eleven 48th Fighter Wing Strike Eagles returned home from the Iran air war sporting interesting nose art and bomb markings.
On July 1, 2026, 11 F-15E Strike Eagles belonging to the 48th Fighter Wing returned home after recently completing combat in the Middle East. Some of the aircraft bore 494 FS markings, but according to our sources, all crew members were from 492 Fighter Squadron “Madhatters” (or “Bolars” in the squadron’s call sign). It is not uncommon for the two squadrons of the 48th Fighter Wing to pool their aircraft and borrow jets from each other when some airframes are unavailable.
The jet returned from Jordan to RAF Lakenheath where it was deployed in support of Operation Epic Fury, with a stopover at Sigonella Air Base in Italy.
Flying TREND 11-15 and TREND 21-26, the first eight jets landed before sunset. Despite the poor lighting conditions, our contributor Stewart Jack was there and took some interesting photos of the F-15E. This scene reveals the nickname and nose art applied to the jet, as has become a tradition for CENTCOM AOR (Area of Responsibility) deployments. In this case, the nickname appears to follow a monster/cryptic theme, mixing mythical creatures and horror figures.
Overall, the first eight Strike Eagles were nicknamed Nessie, Kraken, Yeti, Chupacabra, Cthulhu, Cerberus, Sirenhead, and El Jefe. The last three F-15Es landed around 21:45, much after dark, and their nicknames cannot be determined at this time.
For further details, the aircraft arrived in the following order:
00-3001 “Four o’clock”
91-0329 “Kraken”
97-0221 “Yeti”
01-2001 “Chupacabra”
91-0331 “Cthulhu”
91-0309 “Cerberus”
96-0205 “Sirenhead”
91-0324 “Boss”
All of the aircraft have a significant number of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) markings, two of which are “Cerberus” and “El Jefe,” and are also depicted with what appears to be an AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) silhouette. Of note, the first eight aircraft do not appear to have APKWS II markings.
The Middle East-deployed Strike Eagles’ nose art and nickname first appeared on 18 F-15E Strike Eagle jets from the 391st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron returning to Mountain Home AFB from Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in April 2019. It has since become standard for all F-15E squadrons deployed to the CENTCOM AOR.
A huge thank you to contributor Stewart Jack Photography for sending in the photos!
