The Grim Reapers at Fighter Town

Words and photographs Stuart Freer, additional photographs Mike Freer.

At the beginning of July in scorching temperatures, RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire hosted the 493rd Fighter Squadron The 'Grim Reapers' from the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, whilst it was having some maintenance work carried out on there runway.

The 48th Fighter Wing closed its runway and the adjacent viewing area on June 26 and reopened the morning of July 6. The wing re-located on the afternoon of the 26th June with the F-15C model arriving at RAF Coningsby and the F-15E Strike Eagles from the 492nd Fighter Suadron and the 494th Fighter Squadron going to nearby RAF Mildenhall.

Lt Col Skip Pribyl, 493rd Fighter Squadron director of operations said: "We see this visit to RAF Coningsby as a great opportunity to work directly with our UK counterparts in the Typhoon squadrons. We've flown training missions with them before in the local ranges, but the chance to work with these NATO allies face-to-face has been limited. We're looking forward to taking this mutually beneficial relationship another step forward by working with them on the ground, before and after the flights, instead of strictly while we're in the air. I expect we will learn from each other tremendously and we'll improve our already strong relationship."

Wing Commander Jez Attridge, Officer Commanding XI Squadron, RAF, said: ”Since our resurrection as a Typhoon squadron, XI has enjoyed a close relationship with the 493rd Fighter Squadron. This co-location allows us to build on that relationship both tactically and socially, ensuring that we're not, as some would say, two air forces separated by a common language”

The eight F-15C's returned to RAF Lakenheath on the morning of the 6th July.

Stuart Freer would like to thank the RAF Coningsby for there help and co-operation in preparing this article.