Air Combat Command plans to send 12 F-22As and more than 250 airmen to the Japanese island of Okinawa in February, a deployment welcomed by US Pacific Air Forces, which is slated to get its own Raptors. However, the news fell flat with Okinawa officials, reports Stars and Stripes. Island leaders have been pushing for less aircraft training flights from the USAF F-15s already stationed there. The locals seem to be at odds with Japan defense officials, who plan to have the Japan Air Self Defense Force train with the F-22s.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.