More than 65 US airmen, a B-52 Stratofortress, a C-130, a C-17, and two F-22 Raptors are in Chile this week for FIDAE 2016. FIDAE, or the Feria Internacional del Aire y del Espacio, provides “a great opportunity for airmen to work hand-in-hand with the Chilean air force,” Col. Mike Torrealday, reserve advisor to the 12th AF commander and Air Forces Southern mission commander for the event, said in a press release. The two Raptors from Langley AFB, Va., and a C-17 from Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, arrived in Santiago, Chile, on March 27; the B-52 is scheduled to do a fly over on Friday. Torrealday said the international air and space fair “gives our airmen a chance to learn new concepts and procedures from the several other air forces that are here, and it also gives them the chance to interact and learn about the latest technology in air and space.”
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.