April’s Daily Report entry on the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, setting a single-day sortie record spawned much reader interest. Accordingly, we asked for more detail than in the Air Force’s original release. It turns out that the F-22 unit’s sortie record didn’t apply to all USAF fighters or even the F-22 fleet, but rather just to F-22s flying out of Kadena AB, Japan. “The Bulldogs flew 30 sorties in a day, which stands as the most flown to date in a single day by an F-22A unit deployed to Kadena,” Maj. Jon Eberlan, commander of Elmendorf’s 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, told the Daily Report. The expeditionary Raptor unit comprised 15 F-22s and approximately 320 airmen, both active duty and Reservists. Elmendorf officials declined to provide more information on the sorties “for operational security purposes . . . because it can reveal weapon system capabilities.” We’ve updated our original entry.
The Air Force's new Aircraft Readiness Unit will maintain and provide Collaborative Combat Aircraft for operations, but won’t serve as a “schoolhouse” teaching fighter pilots how to manage these escort drones.