7/25/23, 1:34 PM F-15E Strike Eagle Smart-Bomb Transports Are Hauling Munitions Around The Middle East

While we expected the tac-ferry loadout to first appear in the U.S. Central Command theater,
it’s clear that the concept has enormous relevance for future deployments in less permissive
environments, too. We have frequently reported on the U.S. military’s efforts to develop
procedures for operating fighters from remote and dispersed locations, including rapidly
establishing new bases. In the kind of conflict that would be fought against China or Russia,
established airfields would very likely be destroyed or at least temporarily put out of action
at the first opportunity, making these kinds of alternatives all the more important.

In these kinds of scenarios, using the F-15Es to haul the weapons around is a good option,
especially if they are already heading to a forward operating location. In this way, the
munitions would arrive not only swiftly but in a ready-to-use configuration. Using the CFTs,
or FAST packs, F-15Es could potentially carry other types of cargo, too, although there are
currently no plans to develop this further that we know of. The Air Force’s latest F-15EX
Eagle II will offer even better load-hauling capabilities, with a 28 percent larger payload and
two more weapons stations. 

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