Duke Hawkins

If you read our blog every now and then, you know that next to making books, we also love to design special liveries for military aircraft. So, when we were contacted by the USAF’s 48th Fighter Wing to create a special design for a pair of F-15E Strike Eagles, we got really excited. The theme of the special jets was the 40th anniversary of Operation Eldorado Canyon, a mission from 1986 over Lybia. In those days, the Liberty Wing flew the F-111 Aardvark, so we thought it would be cool to paint the two Strike Eagles – one of the 492nd and one of the 494th Fighter Squadron in the colours of those F-111s: Vietnam camo over a black underside. The 494th jet of the Panthers got named “Karma 52”, the same as the sole jet that was lost during the 1986 operation. The crew’s names are also painted on the canopy frame. The first of the two jets was officially presented on April 28, 2026.

It took the personel at the RAF Lakenheath paint shop roughly two months to paint the first jet and what a great job they did! The difference between the two jets can mainly be found on the insides of the vertical tails, where the unit’s logos are painted. We can’t wait to see the two jets in the air and with the many aviation enthusiasts visiting the spotters corner at the base, it probably won’t be long before photos pop up online. And for the modellers among you: we’re working on decals!