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.
KC-46’s Refueling Boom Damaged While Refueling F-22s
July 8, 2025
A U.S. Air Force KC-46 tanker suffered damage to its boom while refueling F-22 Raptors off the coast of Virginia on July 8, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed, with reported radio communication from the crew indicating the boom “detached.”