Americas

Americas

US sending F-15E fighters to Turkey

11 November 2015 04:56 (UTC +04:00)

The Pentagon announced earlier this month that it would send about a dozen F-15 fighters to the air base.

Last Friday six F-15C air-to-air fighters from the Royal Air Force Lakenheath, arrived at the site.

Peter Cook said that the F-15C fighters will conduct combat air control and air patrols in Turkish airspace in response to Turkish government's request.

"We also announced that we will deploy additional F-15Es to Incirlik as part of our counter-ISIL operations," he said "Details on the number and the arrival timeframe of those aircraft are still being determined. We expect they will be arriving soon."

These F-15s will join a dozen A-10 warthog aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft already conducting airstrikes against Daesh, joining Turkish F-16s targeting the militant group.

"Beyond air operations, we continue our dialogue with Turkey to evaluate option on the most effective means of countering ISIL, including along its borders, in a manner that promotes Turkey's security and regional stability," Cook said.