European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday october 20,1991 the stars and stripes b Page 9militaryf-l 5e Swap transforming Raf Lakenheath by mur1dith Winder . Bureau Raf Lakenheath England both the human and aircraft populations at Raf Lakenheath will shrink when the 48th fighter Wing switches aircraft beginning Early next year and completing the move in the summer of 1993. And that is just one change in store for the 48th when its new Fleet of f-15e strike eagles begin their gradual arrival. Lakenheath is currently the Home of 78 Al 1 if aardvark fighter bombers. A we now have about 5,500 military people at Lakenheath a said spokesman staff sgt. Phil Guerrero. A we expect to drop to about 4,700 when the conversion is  Lakenheath a conversion will Cut the number of aircraft squadrons from four to two but base officials said they do not yet know exactly How Many f-15es they will get. The number of aircraft assigned to a Squadron can vary. Of the 200 pilots and weapons systems officers currently assigned to Lakenheath Only about 66, or one third have been chosen to Fly the f-15e. They will make up less than half of the total of 74 pilots and 79 weapons systems officers to be assigned there when the f-15 Wing is fully operational. The rest will come from other bases. The remaining Lakenheath fliers will be transferred out. A some will probably go Back to Cannon fab . To the Al 11s there a said col. Dean w. Radueg the 48th�?Ts vice commander. A others will go to jobs throughout the air  about 80 percent of Lakenheath a aviators applied to make the switch Guerrero said. The selected pilots and weapons systems will undergo upgrade training at Luke fab Ariz. Training lasts up to five months with the first aircrews expected to Start in january. Capt. Dave Bristol of Flint mich., was among the pilots chosen to make the conversion. A with the Way the air Force is right now its probably the Best thing that a Pilot can do a Flint said of converting to the newer air plane. A a in be talked to some of my friends and they Are excited for me. Everybody is going to do staff Type jobs a not flying  Pilot positions he pointed out Are becoming fewer in the Wake of defense budget cuts and the military a changing face. And for weapons systems officers or sos flying Job prospects in the military Are even worse because two seater aircraft such As the f-4 phantom ii Are being phased out. A the so Force is shrinking 10 times As fast As the Pilot Force a said capt. Dave Giachetti a weapons systems officer. A the number of cockpits Are steadily decreasing. We re left with the full ef-111 and the f-15e. A i feel Lucky just being Able to continue flying a Giachetti added. A a in a sure a lot of my contemporaries Are probably not going to get to Fly after this assignment at Lakenheath a the flying squadrons and maintenance units Are feeling the Brunt of the change but the entire base is being height 17 feet 11nch weight 55,000 lbs. Max combat Speed 1,650 Mph armaments bombs missiles air to Sui face and air to air tactical weapons Range 3,565 Miles with external tanks can be refuelled aerially f-1 5e strike Eagle Mcdonnell Douglas 1991 models Cost $37 million Wing Span 42 feet 8 inches height 18 feet 6 inches weight 40,000 lbs. Max combat Speed 1,650 Mph armaments internally mounted gun sidewinders sparrows air to surface missiles and advanced medium Range air to air missiles Range 2,400 Miles with external tanks can be refuelled aerially sources Jane s Al the world s aircraft and 48th fighter Wing affected. Parts Are being ordered for the new aircraft equipment is being stockpiled new buildings Are being constructed and others modified. And for Many the transition is bringing added responsibilities. A my workload will double a said tech sgt. Edward Vandyk an armament systems specialist with the 48th equipment Maint so. A a we la be working on two aircraft during the transition. We can to Stop working on f-111s because we re getting new aircraft. We re going to have quite a bit of stuff to  once the new planes arrive the number of aircraft maintenance workers will drop considerably. It takes about 30 people to maintain one Al 1 if compared to 25 for each f-15, officials said. Like Many of the maintenance people at Lakenheath Vandyk is already qualified to work on the f-15e. Others will need to upgrade their skills. But most look Forward to moving on to the new aircraft. A a it a a lot easier Jet to work on a Vandyk said. A i can to wait a said master sgt. Van Mahoney of the 48th aircraft generation so. Mahoney has worked on Al 11s for about 13 years. A a it a a very maintenance intensive aircraft a Maho Sas Susan Harris Ney said of the full. A a we re maintaining systems that were installed in the late �?T60s and Early �?T70s and developed possibly As Early As the late �?T50s.�?� changing Over to the new plane also Broadens career opportunities in the air Force for maintenance workers chosen to make the switch like staff sgt. Mark Garrison of the 48th component repair so. A retraining to the f-15 not Only opens up a Complete new career area but it opens up the possibility of going to a lot of other bases a said the 31-year-old Indiana native. But the switch wont come without turmoil a especially for those who had specialized in the full and developed roots in Englana by marrying britons or buying Homes. A change is a double edged sword a Radueg said. A a you re going to find people who Are just thrilled about staying Here being with the f-15e. That a what they want to do. Others Arentt going to be Happy about it because something is happening to them that they done to want to happen. A with any change of this magnitude there a going to be turmoil a Radueg added. A a we re trying to do right by people and meet their desires and the needs of the air  in new Jet will bring Joys headaches by Meridith Winder . Bureau Raf Lakenheath England the anticipation that comes with replacing your 20-year-old car with a shiny new one is the feeling aircrews and maintenance workers get while preparing for the f-15e strike eagles arrival at Lakenheath. Home of the 48th fighter Wing Lakenheath will convert from the Al 1 if aardvark fighter bomber to the f-15e Over the next two years. That change will bring the Joys and headaches of breaking in a new a a vehicle straight off the Assembly line. A a it a just like buying a new car a said col. Dean w. Radueg the 48th�?Ts vice commander. A a new aircraft is a Nice thing to have. It makes you feel  the f-15e is a dual role aircraft incorporating some of the latest technology. It not Only performs Well in a dogfight but like the full it also delivers bombs. Because the f-15e can defend itself and because of its design full aircrews converting to the new aircraft will have to rethink some of their tactics. A the Basic Job of both aircraft is still air to ground a dropping bombs a said capt. Mike Caudle one of the pilots selected to convert to the f-15e. A but in the full our Basic defense for someone shooting at us was to run away if you can. With the f-15e, we can turn around and shoot them in the  a getting to and from a target area at night will be easier. The aircraft uses the Low Altitude navigation and targeting for night lantern system. The system uses advanced technology to turn night into Day providing better navigation and weapon targeting for aircrews. Other features include terrain following radar and a Forward looking infrared navigation system. Seating in the f-15e is different from the Al 11s. Most two seat fighter Type aircraft use tandem seating with the Pilot in the front and weapons systems officer in the rear. Full aircrews sit Side by Side. If an emergency forces an f-15e aircrew to eject each aviator is ejected separately in his own seat. The full uses a capsule system in which the canopy Section along with Many of the instruments and the aircrew Are ejected together. And the aircrews ability to Sec across a broader area will improve with tandem seating. A a in a going to be Able to see what son the left Side of the aircraft while the Pilot will be Able to see what son the right Side. We can to do that now in the full a said capt. Dave Giachetti a weapons systems officer assigned Lakenheath. Increased visibility will enhance their Mission Success rate Giachetti and Caudle said especially when compared to a single seat aircraft doing the same work. As the aviators explained it the pilots attention is focused on getting the aircraft near the target safely while the weapons systems officer has to deliver the bomb on target. A the Only thing one person would be in a Jet like this is dangerous a Caudle said. A the  do the Mission. Its just impossible that he can do everything and do it  and the new aircraft a digital based technology will make the jobs of maintenance workers More enjoyable. The f-15e is a maintenance workers dream said master sgt. Van Mahoney of the 48th aircraft generation so. A every time a Jet full lands it could just be a Quick fix and change a part or it could very easily be a labor intensive trouble shooting problem a Mahoney said. A with the f-15e, there Are a lot of self tests and a lot of technology to do the  maintenance was considered when the aircraft was built he said. And when they arrive at Lakenheath everything will be Brand new. A but As with a new car we will have to break in the Jet a Mahoney said. A a we la also have to examine it carefully. The plane could have some manufacturers