RAF Flight Lieutenant Dan Robinson reverted to the wide-eyed wonderment of childhood during his first foray into the cockpit of a new F-22A Raptor at Langley AFB, Va., according to the Hampton Roads Daily Press. The RAF pilot arrived at the Air Combat Command base this month as the first allied pilot to train on the Raptor—a highly coveted exchange slot, according to Robinson, who normally flies an F-3 Tornado. At Langley, Robinson will be part of the 27th Fighter Squadron, undergoing the same training as every US Raptor pilot. He will get his first taste of what it’s like to fly the new stealth fighter at the F-22 schoolhouse at Tyndall AFB, Fla., where he will begin flight training next month. In July, as a fully trained Raptor pilot, Robinson will return to Langley for a three-year tour.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
