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F-15s Deploy To Diego Garcia To Protect The Island Base That’s Hosting B-52s
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The U.S. Air Force has sent a contingent of at least four
F-15 fighters to
Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to help provide force protection for the island and the assets currently deployed there, which
includes B-52H bombers.
TWZ explicitly raised this possibility in April in a piece touching on
evolving threats to the highly strategic Indian Ocean outpost and the vulnerabilities they highlight.
“The F-15s are deployed providing force protection,” an official with U.S. INDOPACOM confirmed to
The War Zone. We had some follow up questions and will update this story with any new pertinent details provided.
TWZ first noted the F-15s in a satellite image of Diego Garcia taken on May 16, 2025, from Planet Labs archive. Whether these are
F-15C/D Eagles, which the U.S. Air Force is steadily retiring, or
F-15E Strike Eagles isn’t perfectly clear, although they appear to most likely be E models based on their paint tone. Four B-52H bombers, five KC-135 tankers, a C-17 cargo plane, and a white-colored airliner with orange nacelles — most likely an SAS airlines personnel transport flight — is also viewable in the image. A review of additional satellite imagery from Planet Labs indicates the F-15s have been there since at least May 14.
Diego Garcia has long been
a highly strategic operating location for the U.S. military. Beyond its large airfield that sits in the center of the Indian Ocean, it plays many roles for the Department of Defense, including hosting Space Force operations, serving as a key port for U.S. Navy vessels, including nuclear submarines, and its lagoon provides shelter for a Sealift Command Prepositioning Ship Squadron.
Navy Diver 2nd Class Jaden Johns, right, and Navy Diver 2nd Class Gabriel Gaona, both assigned to submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) exit the water after an Anti-terrorism Force Protection Security Swim during the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN-736) port visit at U.S. Navy Support Facility (NSF) Diego Garcia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jan David De Luna Mercado) Petty Officer 2nd Class Jan David Mercado
The island outpost drew particular attention recently after an unusually large force of six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers
began arriving in March in a clear show of force aimed primarily at Iran. The B-2s subsequently conducted
strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.
The four B-52s now on Diego Garcia began arriving last week. For a very brief period, there
were 10 U.S. bombers on the island, but the B-2s quickly began departing for home. Online flight tracking data indicates that the last B-2s left the island on or around May 9th.
10 US Air Force strategic bombers are at Diego Garcia as of today.
Yet to be seen is whether the B-2s will return to the States or stay for a while longer.
https://t.co/vVNqnfRqm2
— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog)
May 8, 2025
A satellite image from 9 May with 3x B-2 and 4x B-52 bombers in Diego Garcia. Source: MizarVision, a Chinese commercial satellite imagery company. Media reports and open-source flight data and air traffic control monitoring indicate that the B-2 bombers are leaving Diego Garcia.
pic.twitter.com/KGa3I2CBXz
— Shahryar Pasandideh (@shahpas)
May 11, 2025
Historically, Diego Garcia’s remoteness has been seen as a natural barrier to attack by non-near-peer potential adversaries like Iran. However, the threat ecosystem has steadily changed in recent years, as
TWZ has previously noted in a
story about the island’s potential vulnerabilities in April:
“At the same time, ever-growing threats emanate from Iran, as well as its regional proxies, that are no longer just defined by range rings around the Middle East. Iran has notably commissioned multiple sea base-like vessels that can be used to launch potentially large numbers of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as long-range kamikaze drones, all from hundreds of miles away, in recent years. The Iranians have also demonstrated missile and drone capabilities, including launchers in standard shipping containers, which could be employed from commercial cargo and other civilian ships. Iran already has a history of using converted cargo vessels as motherships for intelligence gathering and covert attacks. There is also the potential for Iranian operatives or proxies to infiltrate an area to launch more localized campaigns, including using smaller and shorter-ranged weaponized drones.”
As noted, in that same story, we had also explicitly raised the question of whether a fighter contingent might appear on the island to provide force protection in light of those threats. Deploying to enhance security for a high-profile VIP visit is another possibility, although we have no indication that is the case at this time.
Regardless, F-15s would be an ideal platform for this force protection role. U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles very
pointedly demonstrated their ability to contribute to a layered defense against complex cruise missile and drone attacks
while helping to defend Israel from
threats launched by Iran last year. They are arguably the most experienced fighter community in the USAF for dealing with a high-volume drone and cruise missile threat. This is beyond the fact that the F-15E force
is taking on a bigger counter-air role as the F-15C’s inventory continues to dwindle. The Strike Eagles could also use their high endurance, large payload, and very capable sensor suite to detect and neutralize surface threats and provide non-traditional reconnaissance in the region surrounding the archipelago.
A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle flies a combat air patrol over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, April 11, 2025. The F-15E Strike Eagle provides the capability to deter and, if necessary, target violent extremist organizations within the AOR. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Keegan Putman) Senior Airman Keegan Putman
It’s also possible that these aircraft are indeed F-15Cs, which are also very well suited for the counter drone and cruise missile mission set. They bring some capabilities the F-15E doesn’t have, including an
infrared search and track (IRST) system. On the other hand, they would not be able to provide the air-to-surface capabilities that an F-15E contingent could. They could still provide limited reconnaissance support with the help of the Sniper targeting pods, though.
While we do not know the intelligence or mission demand that triggered this relatively unprecedented force protection deployment to the island, if the potential threat picture at Diego Garcia is significant enough to warrant a fighter contingent, it highlights broader issues facing the Air Force and the rest of the U.S. military. Sending the six B-2s to Diego Garcia had
added to an already heated debate about whether the U.S. military should be
investing more in hardened aircraft shelters and
other fortified infrastructure at key facilities globally. There are particular concerns about the vulnerability of airbases across the Indo-Pacific region during a potential future high-end fight with China. The airfield on Diego Garcia currently has just four specially designed B-2 shelters, which are not hardened.
A USAF image from the 2000s showing bomber operations from Diego Garcia during the height of the U.S. military’s operational focus on the war in Afghanistan and the Global War On Terror. (USAF via Getty Images) Pictures from History
At Diego Garcia, “we have multi-layered defense systems to ensure the security and protection of our personnel and equipment,” a spokesperson for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) had told
TWZ in April.
How long the U.S. military will continue to have a bolstered airpower presence at Diego Garcia, which now includes the F-15 detachment, remains to be seen. American authorities agreed to a ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis, brokered by the Omani government, last week.
The United States and Iran are also currently engaged in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled in the past that military action against Iranian nuclear sites, which could be carried out in part by bombers flying from Diego Garcia, could be on the table if those talks fail. This would heighten the need for force protection assets at Diego Garcia, as well as other U.S. facilities across the Middle East.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
The F-15s are providing protection for the Indian Ocean outpost amid rapidly developing threats from Iran and its proxies.
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