Posted on 08/04/2006 5:59:59 AM PDT by MARKUSPRIME
Pacific Air Forces' officials got a glimpse into the future of fighter capability during a tail flash ceremony here today in which PACAF's first F-22 Raptor was unveiled.The aircraft, which is still under construction, will be the first of 36 F-22s assigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, beginning next year. The base will become home to two active-duty F-22 squadrons - the 90th and 525th Fighter Squadrons, as well as a reserve associate squadron, the 302nd FS. It was also announced today that Lt. Col. Mike Showers will be Elmendorf's first F-22 squadron commander. He will command the 90th FS. "I'm excited about getting this incredible new air dominance capability into the Pacific. F-22As based in Alaska in the near-term and Hawaii in the mid-term.In June, the F-22 was put to the test during Northern Edge 2006, a two-week joint service exercise held in Alaska. The F-22's capabilities were highlighted during several air-to-air engagements that included facing an opposing force at a 4-to-1 disadvantage. "Throughout the exercise we were able to see just how effective this jet can be integrating with multiple joint assets for a number of different missions," explained Lt. Col. Wade Tolliver, 27th Fighter Squadron commander, Langley AFB, Va., and an F-22 pilot.
Perhaps even more impressive is how the F-22 is able to help other aircraft increase their performance. During Northern Edge, the Raptor was paired with joint-service jets such as F/A-18 Hornets, F-15C/E Eagles, E/A-6B Prowlers and E-2C Hawkeyes. "The Raptor's success here (Northern Edge) is something that should be shared among all the services, because it means our entire force has capabilities that it didn't have just a short time ago," Col. Tolliver said. "The F-22A has performed excellently during exercises both in and out of the continental United States," the SECAF said, "dominating the current generation fighters, yet integrating seamlessly with ground based operations."
thanks for the photos...
that first one is big 'un...just about blew up my dial-up!
But it's beautiful!
I'm just glad that they're on OUR side.
Click on the various days to see some of the inflight photos of the F22 when it was at Oshkosh, they are quite good.
My HTML is rusty, I know how but it has been a while.
Their I figured it out.....
Is there a tactical reason why our air superiority aircraft are first deployed in Alaska? Threat from Russia, China?
Actually they are first deployed at Langley,VA and Tyndall AFB, FL. Yes Alaska and Hawaii are prime targets for the Soviets..errr russians and chinese.
I didn't make it until Friday and missed it, glad to hear to got to see them.
Some more incredible pictures in those galleries, I'll try to get to sourcing the images to this thread later.
Taildragger
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