(Air Force News)F-22s set for first overseas deployment

[VanHalener]

Hope this is not a dup...

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123038255

1/19/2007 - SAN ANTONIO (AFNEWS) -- Roughly one dozen F-22A Raptors and more than 250 pilots, mechanics, and other 27th Fighter Squadron members from Langley Air Force Base, Va. will head to Kadena Air Base, Japan, in February to fill the squadron's air and space expeditionary force requirement.

"The F22A- Raptor deployment is founded upon and is built upon a constant rotation of combat aircraft into the Japan and East-Asia pacific theater and the motives are multifaceted," said Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, commander United States Forces Japan and 5th Air Forces. "This deployment has been planned for some time now."

General Wright added the deployment is a part of scheduled rotations in and out of the pacific and not in response to any direct threat or nation.

This marks the first overseas deployment for the Air Force's newest stealth fighter jet but not the first time the F-22 has flown in the pacific. In June 2006, F-22s participated in Exercise Northern Edge at Elemendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.

Timed just right for a troop increase, huh George?
Something up your sleeve?

[Dan]

Maybe North korean is on his list?

[VanHalener]

hmmmm North Korea. Short hop from Japan.

Might be a nice flight, I mean bombing run over a reactor.

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[sadaist]

Cool jet. But I'll always have a soft spot for the F-14 Tomcat with the wings that move in & out as it turns & goes straight. Driving through Miramar, CA most of my life, I've seen them overhead a lot.

[FORD]

Originally posted by Dan
Maybe North korean is on his list?

Nope. There's not a drop of oil there, and the Likud Zionfascists don't want the land. North Korea is not a priority for the BCE.

[BITEYOASS]

Originally posted by sadaist
Cool jet. But I'll always have a soft spot for the F-14 Tomcat with the wings that move in & out as it turns & goes straight. Driving through Miramar, CA most of my life, I've seen them overhead a lot.

Plus that aircraft was loud as hell and could carry a Phoenix. Although some old salts have told me that the F-4 Phantom was even louder.

[BITEYOASS]

I laugh at what the Air Force calls a deployment. Kadena Air base?!?! More like a nice place for libo. Hell it's just like being at any MCAS or NAS. That's not a deployent, the air station I was deployed at in Iraq was practically right next to the front line, if there was any.

[BITEYOASS]

And if there is a Navy or USMC unit on an Air Force base, then the entire E-club and O-club alcoholic beverage inventory will have to be restocked every week.

[BITEYOASS]

Albeit the USAF Spec Ops., Transport Command and the Red Horse construction units are always close by in the action; the Fighter Wings always seem to be farther from the close air support strike zones than the ACE element of the MEF. Also, you'd figure that B-2's would make silos obselete. How dull to just sit somewhere underground waiting to press a bunch of buttons to launch a missile. Hell, they need to make a stealth Electronics-Warfare aircraft. Then you wouldn't need to worry about radar evasion since the stations would be leveled by a HARM missile.

[Nitro Express]

Stealth aircraft just don't have the beautiful lines the old aircraft like the F-14. The F-14 was a good looking airplane.

But you aren't thinking looks when trying to hide something from radar.

[Nitro Express]

My favorite planes are the delta wing ones from the 60's. What's more cool than a Hustler or the Valkerie bomber? Those planes rocked!

[BigBadBrian]

Originally posted by BITEYOASS
I laugh at what the Air Force calls a deployment. Kadena Air base?!?! More like a nice place for libo. Hell it's just like being at any MCAS or NAS. That's not a deployent, the air station I was deployed at in Iraq was practically right next to the front line, if there was any.

A friend of mine is in AF reserves and is going to Afghanistan in the spring. The son of another friend of mine is in the AF and got back from Iraq in Sept and is also going to Afghanistan in the spring. Not all of those guys get the cushy deployments.

[BITEYOASS]

Originally posted by BigBadBrian
A friend of mine is in AF reserves and is going to Afghanistan in the spring. The son of another friend of mine is in the AF and got back from Iraq in Sept and is also going to Afghanistan in the spring. Not all of those guys get the cushy deployments.

Yeah, but at least they don't have Vietnam-era equipment, I'll give em' that.

[BITEYOASS]

The USMC has choppers dating back to 1965. Had a near accident with one over in Iraq, nothing I wanna cherish.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

f35s in the hizzie

http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/2012/07/31/20120731glendale-luke-air-force-base-f-35-announcement.html