Lockheed Martin has delivered the 15th F-22 of the year to the Air Force. This airframe, with tail number 4168, flew from the company’s Marietta, Ga., assembly facility to Langley AFB, Va., on Tuesday. It’s the 88th consecutive Raptor delivered ahead of schedule and the 168th delivered overall, according to a company release. Langley is home to the 1st Fighter Wing that operates two squadrons of combat-ready F-22s.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.