Officials with the 36th Wing at Andersen AFB, Guam, have announced that 12 F-22s and a contingent of airmen from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, Va., are now on the island for several months. The Raptors are there as part of a normal rotation of US combat forces into the Pacific region to maintain stability. “By having the F-22s here on the island, I think the message we send is clear—we are prepared to deliver air dominance on demand,” said Lt. Col. Pete Fesler, commander of this expeditionary fighter unit. The F-22s join an expeditionary squadron of B-52s from Minot AFB, N.D., that began arriving June 3. The Air Force also currently has 12 Raptors from Holloman AFB, N.M., deployed to Kadena AB, Japan. (Andersen report by SrA. Shane Dunaway)
Control of the skies in Operation Epic Fury is enabling the Pentagon to rely more on satellite- and laser-guided bombs, throttle back on expensive long-range standoff munitions, and move to a new phase of air war, defense officials said on March 4. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen.…