The head of Air Combat Command 
said Tuesday that he sees no reason not to declare the first F/A-22 Raptor squadron ready for initial operational capability in December as planned. Speaking at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington, D.C., Gen. Ronald Keys said: “The test is, can you do something with them? And, I will have enough on hand that I could send a dozen overseas for some meaningful period of time.” The squadron at Langley AFB, Va., has eight fighters and gets roughly two more each week. By December, Keys said, the unit should have 18, with the appropriate number of fully trained pilots. Keys maintains there’s no need to wait for the completion of the follow-on test and evaluation, which started during the summer, to declare IOC.
The Pentagon’s fiscal 2026 defense budget, submitted to Congress last week, accelerates the downsizing of the U.S. Air Force. It proposes divesting 340 aircraft, while only acquiring 76. These cuts risk the Air Force’s ability to prevail.
