A rescue operation is under way to find the pilot of a US fighter jet which crashed into the North Sea on Monday, 15 June during a routine training mission.
A major operation is under way off the coast of North Yorkshire after the F-15 C Eagle came down near Flamborough Head, south of Scarborough.
#BREAKING A US Air Force F-15C Eagle plane from RAF Lakenheath, UK had crashed in the North Sea pic.twitter.com/5vtC05Zuwl
— Natasha Fatah (@NatashaFatah) June 15, 2020
Ready to take on Monday like...#WeAreLiberty! #ReadyAF pic.twitter.com/QrwCrHp5bv
— RAF Lakenheath (@48FighterWing) June 15, 2020
3 KC-135s are circling the area of the North Sea around the location of where the F-15 crashed. pic.twitter.com/u5BZEJ4hpi
— Intel Air & Sea (@air_intel) June 15, 2020
The F-15 has been the main warhorse of the US Air Force since the 1980s. The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle - to give it its full name - first entered service in 1976 and was heavily involved in the Gulf War in 1991.
It has a top speed of 1,875 miles per hour and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 turbofan engines, with afterburners.
The US Air Force has had a base at RAF Lakenheath, in the east of England, since 1948.
In 2018 it was reported that the US Air Force was in talks with Boeing about building a replacement for the ageing F-15 Eagle.
Current situation #NorthSea multiple assets deployed in #SAR MISSION #avgeek #planespotting #adsb #OSINT #F15 #CHOSEN4 pic.twitter.com/mBQLbx6d1F
— ScotMilAir (@mil_scot) June 15, 2020
The US Air Force and the RAF carry out regular low flying sorties along the east coast of England and out into the North Sea.
