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6 to 8 of these planes flew through the Ogwen Valley in North Wales, UK, this morning (2nd of June). Hawks and other training jets are common sights, but I’ve not seen these before and can’t identify the model. I thought F35s from the distinctive tail, but the wings are more swept back than the images of F35s I can find.

enter image description here

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    $\begingroup$ Good job on getting a crisp photo. $\endgroup$
    – BowlOfRed
    Jun 2 at 15:22
  • $\begingroup$ @BowlOfRed Got quite a few, and a video. After the first one shot by, I was ready to go. $\endgroup$
    – Darren
    Jun 2 at 17:25
  • $\begingroup$ Judging by the tail and its therefore unnecessary wing(s).... The air intakes are a dead give away tho. $\endgroup$
    – Mazura
    Jun 2 at 20:14
  • $\begingroup$ One of my favorites! $\endgroup$
    – Davidw
    Jun 3 at 0:49

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What you've got there is a real life F-15! Love this aircraft, it's just got that quintessential military jet look about it.

There are 2 features which make it stand out

  • The shape of the trailing edge of the main wings, straight and then angled
    enter image description here
  • The shape of the tailplane, with those jagged leading edges
    enter image description here

Silouette of an F-15:

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    $\begingroup$ Thanks. Me and my mate actually worked it out in the end. I was only looking for planes operated by the RAF, but of course there are F15s stationed at Lakenheath. $\endgroup$
    – Darren
    Jun 2 at 17:27
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    $\begingroup$ Probably increasing operational frequency in anticipation of training Ukranian pilots. $\endgroup$
    – A. I. Breveleri
    Jun 3 at 2:34
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    $\begingroup$ @A.I.Breveleri or even being flown by those Ukrainian pilots? $\endgroup$
    – Tim
    Jun 3 at 10:43
  • $\begingroup$ "it's just got that quintessential military jet look about it." The F-86 Sabre is the fighter jet look (though maybe just for old people), with the F-4 Phantom a close second. $\endgroup$
    – RonJohn
    Jun 3 at 17:05
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That's a United States Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, most likely one of those that are based at Lakenheath.

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  • $\begingroup$ We reached the same conclusion in the end. Thanks. $\endgroup$
    – Darren
    Jun 2 at 17:27
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Looks like an F-15E Strike Eagle

  • F-15 silhouette
  • Twin seat
  • Dark grey uniform paint scheme
  • ‘Twin bagger’ ie 2 x 600 gal external tanks
  • No missiles on the rails.
  • Difficult to see if it has the FAST packs on the side of the fuselage
  • Modern P&W F100 engine variant with the ‘turkey feather’ exhaust petals removed.
  • Difficult to see from this angle the discerning features that separate it from an F-15D.

But…

  • Most likely a Strike Eagle bubba out of Lakenheath doing some low level practice.
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