In the week from October 16th until October 19th, 2022, American F-22A Raptors were deployed at Leeuwarden Air Base. It was the first time that the F-22 Raptor was deployed to the Netherlands. In total four aircraft were involved during this exercise. The involved aircraft were part of the deployment of the 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron which is normally based in Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, United States.
During the missions the Americans flew every day while in the Netherlands, sometimes even twice a day. The Alaskans had the opportunity to fly with the Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35A units. Next to that also the United States Air Force participated with F-35A Lightning II and F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft both coming from the 48th Fighter Wing from RAF Lakenheath United Kingdom. Training and integrating with other fifth generation aircraft provides the US pilots the opportunity to react, respond to, and train to a higher level against an aircraft with advanced capabilities, providing a realistic threat environment.
In scenarios like during the exercise Steadfast Noon all these aspects of flying are coming together. The nuclear warfare scenario is annually trained in Europe together with the European and American allies. In the modern world this scenario is more accurate than ever with the recent developments in Europe.
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