"Just a nice Picture!..."
Frisian spotter Rob van Leeuwen was just in time, just in place, when this Alaskan based Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor took off from Leeuwarden Air Base's runway 23 on 18 October 2022.
Leeuwarden's 322 Squadron Niet praten maar doen hosted multiple USAF fighters during the interoperability exercise which was held from 17 till 21 October 2022. Various scenarios were played during Large Force Exercises (LFEs) above the Netherlands and the North Sea area.
Next to the 90th Fighter Squadron Pair-o-Dice F-22As, which arrived from Lask Air Base (Poland), USAF Europe (USAFE) also joined the LFE with four Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning IIs and two F-15E Strike Eagles from the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath (UK).
Unfortunately the F-22A Raptors already left Leeuwarden back to Lask on Wednesday 19 October and the Strike Eagles left on Thursday 20 October. However, the LN coded F-35A Lightning IIs from the 495th Fightr Squadron Valkyries are still at the air base, and are planned to return to Lakenheath on Friday 28 October.
The following USAF fighters were noted at Leeuwarden:
Photo by Rob van Leeuwen