The U.S. is preparing to deploy additional F-15E strike aircraft to Turkey, increasing the number of aircraft involved in the air campaign aimed at degrading and destroying the Islamic State (ISIL) militant group in Iraq and Syria.
How many F-15Es will deploy and the timing of their arrival are still being determined, Pentagon Spokesman Peter Cook said in a press conference Tuesday.
“We expect they will be arriving soon,” he said.
The Defense Department last week announced the deployment of 12 F-15s to Incirlik air base in Turkey to both patrol Turkish airspace and aid in the air war against Islamic State militants on the ground in Iraq and Syria.
On Friday six F-15C fighters arrived at Incirlik to begin combat air patrols over Turkey after that nation’s government requested support in “securing the sovereignty of Turkish airspace,” Cook said. Other manned and unmanned combat aircraft already are operating out of Incirlik and striking targets in Iraq and Syria, including several A-10 Thunderbolts, F-22 Raptors and Mq-1 Predator drones. The U.S. military also has personnel-recovery personnel and platforms stationed in Turkey, Cook said.
Turkish F-16s also are flying from Incirlik to strike ISIS and other targets in neighboring Syria. Both the U.S. and Turkish aircraft are flying strike missions against ISIL targets as part of a broad coalition of nations, Cook said. However, U.S. aircraft have to date conducted more than 8,000 sorties, by far the lion’s share of offensive operations in either country.
“We continue to work with a substantial and large coalition and those coalition members are contributing in a host of ways, not just in terms of aircraft, but many of those nations do continue to engage in airstrikes on behalf of the coalition, but that’s not all they’re doing,” Cook said. “Some have provided bases with which to carry out the fight against ISIL. Some have provided financial support for this effort, training as well…Yes, it’s true the United States has conducted most of the significant airstrikes to date.”
Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets also were conducting strikes on ISIL from the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) aircraft carrier until recently when the ship was redirected from the Persian Gulf to San Diego as part of the Navy’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific.
The movement of F-15s to Turkey was in response to a direct request from that nation’s government and not designed to compensate for the lack of naval aviation assets in the wake of the Roosevelt’s departure, Cook said. Both movements were planned in advance, he said.
“We feel confident that we have the assets and capabilities to continue to wage this air campaign, the coalition campaign against ISIL,” Cook said. “Certainly, the decision by the Turkish government to open Incirlik has expanded our capabilities, our options and our flexibility, which is important.”