Last season the Thunderbirds did an awesome job of taking advantage of some outstanding photo ops and backdrops that presented themselves as the team criss-cross the country from show to show. This weekend, they are kicking off their season at Davis Monthan AFB, as is the F-22 demo team. The two teams took to the…
F-22A Raptors have shown up at Osan Air Base in South Korea, just as Foxtrot Alpha predicted. The deployment of a quartet of the stealthy super-fighters comes as tensions continue to rise on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of the North’s most recent rocket test.
To keep the Raptor’s radar signature at a minimum, small doors and vents appear seemingly out of nowhere during certain functions, reminding us that a fighter jet still lies beneath its spaceship-like appearance. Its startup sequence also looks and sounds like something out of science fiction.
F-22 Raptors have become America’s go-to low density, high-demand combat asset. They flew their first combat missions over Syria in September of 2014 but they had been flying missions over the region for many years before and still do today. These beautiful photos depict a group of F-22's getting refueled over deserts…
Seeing F-22s deploy internationally is nothing new, but usually it’s in relatively small groups of four to eight jets. Yet the 525th Fighter Squadron based at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, has just moved 12 F-22s (half of its inventory) to Yokota Air Base in Japan. Obviously such a potent deployment is meant to send a strong…
Halting production at just 187 F-22 Raptors was one of the dumbest military procurement decisions in decades, and now, nobody is really hiding that fact. This includes Air Force Secretary Deborah James.
One of the most important programs that the U.S. Air Force is undertaking is far from glamorous and comes with a funny name: Talon HATE. But this podded system will be vital for eliminating communications barriers between the F-22 and F-15C/D fleets, as well as other weapon systems. It’s showing for the first time on…
The most advanced operational fighters of U.S., U.K., and French origin pose for the camera high over the Atlantic. The Raptors, Typhoons and Rafales, along with T-38 and F-15E aggressors and E-3 AWACS support, are taking part of the first international anti-access focused aerial exercise dubbed simply “Trilateral…
A gaggle of F-22A Raptors belonging to the 199th Fighter Squadron, which is part of the 154th Wing of the Hawaiian Air National Guard, deployed to the Middle East yesterday. This comes as tensions are hot between the U.S. and Russia over Syria and as the F-22 seems to be in demand around the globe.
It’s official, Russia has deployed tactical fixed-wing jets, supposedly Su-27s Flanker derivatives, along with attack helicopters, to Syria as part of its rapidly expanding outpost there. Meanwhile the chief of the U.S. Air Force in Europe wants a permanent F-22 presence in the region.
Just days after Air Force Secretary Deborah James hinted at a looming inaugural F-22 deployment to Europe, four F-22A Raptors of the 95th Fighter Squadron out Tyndall AFB in Florida arrived over Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. This marked the first operational deployment of F-22s to Europe in its decade-old…
After teasing the possibility of Raptors deploying to Europe months ago, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James has confirmed to reporters that Raptor is indeed going to be sent to Europe as part of an ongoing initiative to reassure NATO allies of America’s commitment to their defense.
This awesome 360° video, shot from inside the Heritage Flight Museum’s P-51D Mustang “Val-Halla” being flown by Greg Anders, shows what flying a Heritage Flight alongside an F-22 looks like. The icons of American air power old and new were flying together last week for the Abbotsford International Air Show in Canada.
Russia has said it will greatly increase its fighting capability along its border with NATO countries — including the deployment of tactical ballistic missiles — if the U.S. follows through with its plan to store tanks, artillery and other equipment at forward staging areas in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic…
34 years ago, the USAF set out to build a fighter that could guarantee American air superiority for decades to come. $75B, 563 less aircraft than planned, and a decade after being declared operational later, the F-22 still doesn’t have what some MiG-21s have, a Helmet Mounted Sight and a missile to go with it.
Renowned photographer Blair Bunting has taken a turn toward aviation subjects recently, and we are very thankful for him doing so. He captured a Thunderbird F-16 in his uniquely dramatic style, and now he attacked the world’s only operational 5th generation super fighter, the F-22 Raptor, with outstanding results.
Hawaii Air National Guard F-22A Raptors from the 154th Fighter Wing and C-17As and KC-135Rs from the 15th Wing, based at Hickam AFB on the island of Oahu, took part in an evolving rapid deployment concept, aptly named "Rapid Raptor." The exercise would see a handful of the world's most advanced fighters being deployed…
There is a very Star Wars-ish 'Rebel Alliance' vs the 'Galactic Empire' juxtaposition going on between the two types of aircraft and the environments in which they are being refueled in the video below.
The world's only operational 5th generation stealth fighter has waded into combat for the first time in its almost decade old career with the USAF. Ironically, an aircraft that was built to be the ultimate air-to-air fighter went to war for the first time slinging bombs. Regardless of its mission, the first combat use…
The world's only operational 5th generation stealth fighter has waded into combat for the first time in its almost decade old career with the USAF. Ironically, an aircraft that was built to be the ultimate air-to-air fighter went to war for the first time slinging bombs. Regardless of its mission, the first combat use…
