10JAN2019 (04:03 UTC-07 Tango 06) 20 Dey 1397/03 Jumada l-Ula 1440/05 Gui-Chou 4716

“It can get very taxing. It’s physical work, and you have to battle the elements … but it’s worth it.  When I see the plane takeoff I think, ‘I made that possible.’”-Technical Sergeant Terrance Reese

F-15E Strike Eagles belonging to Idaho’s Mountain Home Air Force Base have been spotted in Southwest Asia (Middle East).

The 391st Fight Squadron ‘Bold Tigers’ consists of about 180 personnel operating or maintaining more than 20 aircraft.   The pics in this article were taken 04-05JAN2019, at an undisclosed location in the Middle East.

In reality the majority of USAF personnel do not fly aircraft (less than 4% of Airmen are pilots), the hi-tech hi-dollar airborne weapons require a massive amount of ground support personnel to support.  This is contrary to what we were told during the Cold War, the Air Force bean counters always claimed that hi-tech would reduce the need for humans: “It’s a constant double and triple checking. There are so many moving parts, and if you don’t take your time it’s easy to miss something.  We have to be 100% positive the plane is mission capable.”-Senior Airman Griffin Langiano, F-15 crew chief

MOUNTAIN HOME AFB UPDATE, F-15E WALK-AROUND, MICRON BUS