Bill Carey

The U.S. Air Force will send F-22 Raptors to Europe as part of an initiative to deter Russian aggression, the service said. The fifth-generation air superiority fighter will participate in training exercises with allied air forces, but the timing and location of the deployment were not disclosed.

 


Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced the inaugural deployment during a “State of the Air Force” briefing at the Pentagon on August 24. The F-22s will “support combatant commander requirements” and contribute to the European Reassurance Initiative, a campaign the U.S. mounted after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014. Congress approved $985 million in overseas contingency operations funding for the effort during the current fiscal year.

 


“Russia’s military activity in the Ukraine continues to be of great concern to us and to our European allies,” said James. “Airmen who are a part of this inaugural F-22 training deployment will train with our joint partners and our NATO allies across Europe as part of our continued effort to assure our allies and demonstrate our commitments to security and stability of Europe.”

 


The Lockheed Martin fighter saw combat for the first time last September, striking Islamic State militants in Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. Reporting on the status of that year-old campaign, James said the Air Force has flown more than 48,000 sorties in support of operations in Syria and Iraq, including air strikes, tanker sorties and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

 


Gen. Mark Welsh, Air Force chief of staff, said F-22 pilots will train alongside other fighters—he mentioned the Eurofighter Typhoon—when they deploy to Europe. “We have aircraft with very advanced capabilities, and we need, and [allies] would like for us, to be able to interoperate in multiple-type scenarios,” he said. “And so being able to train side-by-side with them and do that kind of training is really, really important to us, and that’s what this [deployment] is for.”&nbsp;

 


On another topic, James described as “disappointing” the news that Boeing has delayed the first flight of the KC-46A Pegasus by about a month—to October—because of ongoing issues with the tanker’s development. <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2013-05-31/boeing-describes-two-step-kc-46-tanker-certification-process">It had planned to fly the first “full-up” tanker, a derivative of the 767 airliner, early this year</a>. “Personally, of course, it was disappointing news that this additional delay has occurred,” she said. “However, Boeing continues to believe that they will make their key contractual requirement, which is to deliver to us 18 aircraft by August of 2017, so that is the most important parameter, and they still believe that they will make that.”

 


At the same time, the Air Force is reviewing the KC-46A program schedule to determine if any further delays will cause operational impacts. “Certainly, the margin in the schedule is all but gone at this point,” James said.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

U.S. Will Send F-22s To Europe to Bolster Allies, Deter Russia 

 F-22s will deploy to Europe for inaugural training mission 'soon,' but the Air Force did not reveal the timing or location of the deployment.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Hanneke Weitering

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

AltiSky will assemble, sell, and service VoltAero's aircraft

VoltAero Picks U.S. Distributor for Cassio Hybrid-electric Aircraft 

Jennifer Leach English

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Company noncommittal on expanding its lineup upwards, citing $1B investment cost

Embraer’s Plans for a Larger Bizjet Remain Up in the Air

Kerry Lynch

Operations ebbed, backlogs were steady, and available aircraft increased

GJC: Bizjet Market Continues To Stabilize in 3Q2024

Greenville-based charter operator pre-orders 10 eVTOL air taxis

SAI Flight To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL in South Carolina

Charles Alcock

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

More In Aircraft

VoltAero Picks U.S. Distributor for Cassio Hybrid-electric Aircraft

AltiSky will assemble, sell, and service VoltAero's aircraft

Embraer’s Plans for a Larger Bizjet Remain Up in the Air

Company noncommittal on expanding its lineup upwards, citing $1B investment cost

GJC: Bizjet Market Continues To Stabilize in 3Q2024

Operations ebbed, backlogs were steady, and available aircraft increased

SAI Flight To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL in South Carolina

Greenville-based charter operator pre-orders 10 eVTOL air taxis

AMSL Starts Untethered Flight Tests with Vertiia eVTOL Aircraft

Australian start-up is developing a hydrogen-powered aircraft

Deliveries Increase as EHang Works to Boost eVTOL Aircraft Performance

Chinese manufacturing wants to extend range with solid-state batteries

NBAA Expands Roles for Two Senior Executives

Jo Damato and Andrew Broom assume additional responsibilities

Transport Canada Certifies Cirrus SR G7 and Vision G2+

Similarities between the piston- and jet-powered Cirruses make transition training easier

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN