Two F-22 Raptor squadrons and two maintenance squadrons from Hawaii have joined forces to create a combined unit with more than 200 active-duty and Air National Guard airmen that has arrived in the Middle East for a six-month deployment, according to the Hawaii National Guard.
The F-22 pilots come from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 199th Fighters Squadron and the active-duty 19th Fighter Squadron, a news release from the Hawaii National Guard says. The maintainers and other support personnel are from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing and the active-duty 15th Wing.
The planes and most of the airmen left Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on Sept. 26, according to the news release, which did not include the name of the base downrange from which the F-22s and airmen will operate.
"This is the first operational deployment for the Hawaiian Raptors," the news release says. "In 2010, the 199th Fighter Squadron converted to the F-22 from the F-15 Eagle and began flying the Raptors in partnership with the 19th Fighter Squadron. This is the first combat deployment for the 199th Fighter Squadron since it deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2000 to patrol the southern no-fly zone of Iraq. The 19th Fighter Squadron last deployed to Southwest Asia in 1992."
The F-22 has come of age since it flew its first combat missions over Syria in September 2014. The plane can strike targets, track enemy fighters on the ground, escort bombers and use its advanced sensors to guide other aircraft to their targets.
The Raptor was designed to defeat enemy aircraft in visual-range dogfights, but so far the F-22 has not been used for that purpose. However, now U.S. and Russian aircraft are flying combat missions over Syria. The two countries' militaries are discussing how to stay out of each other's way.
When asked if the F-22 was needed to fly air superiority missions now that the Russians are flying in Syrian airspace, a spokesman for Air Force Central Command called the Hawaiian Raptors' deployment is "part of a regularly-scheduled Air Expeditionary Force rotation."
"Due to operational security, I cannot discuss specific capabilities of our deployed assets, but the overarching purpose of the deployed F-22s is to promote security and stability as well as support mutual interests of our partners in the region," Master Sgt. Sonny Cohrs said in an email. "We do this by maintaining a presence through combat air patrols and escort missions, in addition to kinetic strikes. The F-22 provides the versatility of air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities, in addition to its stealth technology."
