F-22 stealth jets are back in Europe for more exercises with NATO and partner allies, U.S. European Command announced Monday.
The Raptors deployed to RAF Lakenheath, England, from the 95th Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and will continue training in Europe until May, EUCOM said. The exact number of fighter jets and airmen was not disclosed.
The multirole fighter aircraft will forward deploy from the United Kingdom to NATO bases to "maximize training opportunities, affirm enduring commitments to NATO allies, and deter any actions that destabilize regional security."
In August, the Air Force deployed four F-22s to Europe for the first time ever as part of the European Reassurance Initiative — a Pentagon effort designed to allay European partners' fears about Russian aggression in the region.
“You can take a fourth-gen fighter, you can give them advanced sensors, advanced weapons, they’re already maneuverable and capable, but if you don’t have that stealth piece of it then it doesn’t get you to where you need to be to do this type of fight," Maj. Justin Anhalt, an F-22 requirements officer and program element monitor at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, said of the fifth-generation fighter's capabilities in modern conflicts.
Anhalt told Air Force Times last month that it was likely the Air Force would move forward with speedy deployments, known as “Rapid Raptor,” to quickly move a lot of jets “into an area without a lot of spin-up” but enough to make its mark.
"We’re very focused on advancing air-to-air threats — emerging air-to-air threats — that will challenge both the U.S. ability to gain and maintain air superiority, and our coalition partners and how we can help them out,” he said.
The Air Force also recently deployed a theater security package of F-15s to Iceland and the Netherlands under Operation Atlantic Resolve. The contingent of F-15Cs and about 350 airmen from the 131st Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, and the 194th Fighter Squadron, Fresno Air National Guard Base, California, will participate in exercises through September.
F-15Es with the 494th Fighter Squadron at Lakenheath conducted air-to-air training with the Raptors on Monday, EUCOM said.
