The F-22 Raptor will participate in the Defenders of Freedom Open House and Air Show at Offutt AFB, Neb., for the first time since 2010, announced Air Combat Command in a March 4 release. “We’re pleased to have the most sought-after single ship demonstration act in the world scheduled for our show,” said Col. Gregory Guillot, commander of the 55th Wing at Offutt. The Raptor will join the Navy’s Blue Angels, the Navy Parachute Team the Leap Frogs, and famous aircraft fliers and their aircraft. “If you were to ask any air show director what performers they’d like to have at their show, they’d say the Blue Angels and the F-22, so we’ve nailed it,” said Maj. Brian Burger, the director of the air show. The show will be held July 19-20.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be operational in the late 2020s, several years before the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems, Air Force officials told the House Armed Services tactical aviation panel. The CCAs will first be “shooters,” then electronic warfare platforms, then sensors, in that order, they added.