One might ask why not have fewer squadrons of F-22A Raptors, since the total number is now limited to 183? The top civilian for the Air Force told lawmakers that it’s a question of “depth of leadership.” Michael Wynne explained that the service has about three-plus wings of hardware deployed to Southwest Asia, “but we have five wings worth of leadership deployed.” By having seven squadrons of F-22As, said Wynne, the Air Force gains the necessary “depth that we can deploy the airplane and fight with it.”
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
