Air Force Magazine provides an inside look at the F-22’s first combat mission with an exclusive interview with one of the pilots who flew the historic mission. The article, “With the Raptors Over Syria,” will be featured in our February print edition, but we’re posting it here first. No one thought the F-22s would make their combat debut in Syria, including the pilots who had been training in the region for months. In fact, the aircraft already were configured for the long ride back to the United States when they were called to combat. From an F-15E engine malfunction that closed the runway for 20 minutes to Iraqi air traffic controllers vectoring the Raptors toward Iran instead of Syria, the fighters overcame several challenges, yet still managed to hit their target and safely accomplish the mission. (Click here to read the full story.)
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
