The airmen destined to fly the F-22s out of Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, will first hone their skills flying their AK tail flash emblazoned Raptors with the veteran F-22 crews of the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, Va. As the new Alaska-bound F-22s roll off the production line in Georgia, they will first go to Langley, where along with PACAF crews they will become part of what USAF has termed “Ready Elmendorf.” Col. Robert Craven, chief of PACAF’s F-22 program integration office, says, “It is an effort to minimize the time for Elmendorf’s squadrons to achieve mission readiness.”
As the Air Force readied for its June 21-22 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the service was also putting its Agile Combat Employment strategy into action, dispersing combat aircraft and Airmen from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in preparation for a possible Iranian retaliatory attack. Some defense experts say…