Super Sabre static restored Published Dec. 18, 2025 By Airman 1st Class Rilynn Jacobs 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- The F-100D Super Sabre static display was honored in a ribbon-cutting ceremony following its restoration, Nov. 7, 2025. The restoration of the aircraft reflects an ongoing commitment to preserving both the display's condition and the important history it represents. “The restoration was years in the making,” said Airman 1st Class Maxim Popov, 48th Fighter Wing Contracting Squadron contracting specialist. “This restoration is important to base because it signifies our continued movement to a bigger and brighter future while also paying homage and respect to where we came from.” Gordon Ponsford, conservation and restoration contractor, spraypaints the nose of the F-100 Super Sabre static display at RAF Lakenheath, England, Oct. 22, 2025. It had been nearly a decade since the display had received any recorded restoration. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Rilynn Jacobs) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res The 48th, with three Fighter Squadrons, first flew F-100Ds in France starting in 1956. When the 48th moved to RAF Lakenheath in January 1960, they were still flying F-100Ds and continued to do so until 1972. The F-100Ds were the first aircraft to arrive and that is why it’s the F-100D that stands guard at our front gate. The plane has maintained its markings through the restoration that originated from the day it arrived from France, displaying both its French and U.S. heritage As the first aircraft to arrive at RAF Lakenheath, the F-100D stands tall to this day guarding the front gate. “They used to train at Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Force Base, but later came here to RAF Lakenheath,” said Jeffery McGovern, 48th Fighter Wing historian." There were three squadrons, which is what the three colored stripes on the aircraft represent. For almost a decade and a half it was marked with a fictional tail number. In about 1990 they decided to attribute it to one of our actual airplanes, so they marked it as a 492nd plane, said to be the commander's plane from about 1963.” Gordon Ponsford, conservation and restoration contractor, applies the Liberty Wing emblem to the F-100D Super Sabre aircraft static display at RAF Lakenheath, England, Nov. 5, 2025. The emblem was applied to the display as a finishing touch to the display's restoration to symbolize the relationship of the aircraft that arrived from France in 1960. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Rilynn Jacobs) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res The Airmen of the 48th Contracting Squadron and the 48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron celebrated this display of heritage by performing a ribbon cutting ceremony, where multiple people were coined by Chief Master Sgt. Peter Martinez, 48th FW command chief. “This is my first base and my first contract ever that was handed to me from the beginning and carried through to the end,” said Popov. “When I was awarded the chance to work on this static display I looked at it as a great honor. That plane is the first thing people see when they come on base and the last thing they see when they leave.”