F-22s from the 7th Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, N.M., arrived in late May at Kadena AB, Japan, for a four-month deployment. This tour, which is part of a normal rotation of US combat forces in the Pacific region, marks the first overseas deployment for Holloman’s new Raptor force. F-22s were also scheduled to deploy last week from Langley AFB, Va., to Andersen AFB, Guam, as part of this rotation. (Kadena photo caption by SrA. Amanda Grabiec)
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.