All 12 F-22A Raptors from the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley AFB, Va., are now deployed to Kadena AB, Japan on the island of Okinawa. Two Raptors arrived from their stopover at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, on Feb. 16 and the other 10 over Feb. 17-18. The new stealthy fighters were about a week overdue for their Pacific region deployment, following a navigation software glitch that “was corrected” at Hickam. The Raptors left Hickam on Feb. 11, only to return when “multiple aircraft” developed the software problem. At Hickam, 13th Air Force commander, Lt. Gen. Loyd Utterback, called the problem a “minor issue,” but the service delayed the trip as a safety precaution.
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.