Apparently the USAF 494th figher squadron, which is a "ready to deploy" F-15E "Strike Eagle" squadron currently based at RAF Lakenheath, is deploying soon to "southwest Asia"; but first they got the new improved GBU-39 bombs - smaller GPS guided bombs permitting each aircraft to carry eight independently targetable bombs - each smaller, but more effective with guiding than the equivalent weight of bigger and fewer bombs.
Where are they going, and why?
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You can bomb your hometown too! Just put your location into that link, and it'll show you the area of devastation if your town were hit by the Hiroshima bomb.
Many of you will know of Freeman Dyson as a world-class physicist. But he was also assigned to RAF Bomber Command during World War II. Here are his thoughts on bombing of urban areas, from Disturbing the Universe:
Congratulations Russia on your great new bomb that is nicknamed the "
Cluster bombs are designed to do just one thing: kill people. It doesn't matter if the people are soldiers or not. In fact cluster bombs kill more civilians than they kill combatants.
the Hill of Megiddo.
Now, aren't you sorry you asked?
No, they wouldn't be heading to the middle-east. My guess would be Kandahar or Bagram air bases in Afghanistan for a possible mission into Iran if necessary. The choice of jet is interesting, though: The F-15 is an air-force jet, not a naval aircraft. Most of our airpower in the middle-east is largely naval (since we can park carriers in the Gulf and Med). The choice of 15s implies that they expect to be launching and landing in an airbase.
The 15E is also an odd bird, being an air superiority fighter retrofitted for bombing runs. The choice of 15Es over an F-117 implies that they're more concerned about having something more maneuverable to deal with air cover than they are about avoiding SAMs, and the choice of F-15Es over a more conventional mixed F-16 and F-15 force, or an F-22 and F-35 force implies that they want as small a force as possible, choosing a fighter/bomber hybrid over a mixed fighter and bomber squad.
Why?
Clearly the intent is to take out specific, known targets. The choice of smaller, more accurate bombs probably rules out a strike on Iran's nuclear program, though, since the facilities at Busehr and elsewhere are reportedly deep underground.
Israel/Lebanon makes even less sense, though, since there's nothing these jets would do there that couldn't be accomplished by an F-18 off a carrier.
Clearly they intend to attack from an airbase, against a country whose air defenses include an air force (rather than just SAMs like most Arab countries), with specific strategic targets, and get in and out as quickly as possible.
In the region you mention, only Iran makes sense as a target.
Other factors would influence this decision, such as payload and operational cost.