A contingent of F-22s and active duty airmen and Reservists from JB Elmendorf, Alaska, deployed in January to Kadena AB, Japan, for three months. This tour is part of a normal rotation of US combat forces in the western Pacific to maintain stability and is not a response to any specific situation, said Elmendorf officials. The contingent includes F-22s and pilots from the active duty 525th Fighter Squadron, maintainers from the 525th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, and pilots and maintainers from Air Force Reserve Command’s 477th Fighter Group. The Reservists help operate the F-22s under a classic association. At Kadena, the Elmendorf airmen will generate daily sorties without having to fight the harsh Alaska winter weather. They will also train with other Air Force and Navy aircraft. Stars and Stripes reported that 15 F-22s were slated to deploy to Kadena. (Elmendorf report by Maj. Lisa Reaver)
The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force has unveiled a new electronic warfare drone designed to fly with fighter jets into contested airspace, including alongside its fleet of F-35s. RAF says it plans to develop models that draw on the U.S. Air Force’s approach of mating unmanned systems with crewed platforms.