The contingent of six F-22 fighters and 150 airmen from the 1st Fighter Wing Langley AFB, Va., that deployed to the Middle East in November for training are now back home, Air Forces Central said in a release Monday. This was the first time that Raptors have been in the region. “We didn’t know how the jet was going to perform or react, given the temperature differences as well as the dust, sand, and wind,” said the commander of Langley’s 27th Fighter Squadron, Lt. Col. Lance Pilch, who led the contingent. He added, “But we were able to fly more sorties than we scheduled for, so the F-22 actually exceeded expectations.” During their time there, Air Force officials said the F-22s flew with British, French, Jordanian, and Pakistani fighters that were taking part in an exercise at the UAE’s Air Warfare Center.
The Pentagon is significantly bolstering airpower near Venezuela, dispatching the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to Latin America, it said in an Oct. 24 statement. The announcement came just hours after U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers and other U.S. assets flew near the Venezuelan coast on Oct. 23.
