A
S THE USAF prepared to
declare full operational
capability (FOC) with the
Raptor in 2007, the first
overseas deployment
took place in February of
that year. Six F-22s of the 27th Fighter
Squadron from Joint Base Langley-Eustis,
headed west to Kadena, Japan. The
deployment drew international headlines
as the aircraft departed Hickam, Hawaii,
and then reportedly experienced
multiple software-related system failures
as they crossed the International Date
Line. The Raptors were forced to return
to Hickam, where the fault was corrected
via a software patch, allowing the aircraft
to proceed onwards to Japan two daysIn September 2014
the F-22 Raptor
made its combat
debut in the skies
over Syria. It was
a landmark kinetic
event, but in reality
it was just one
example of the
F-22’s contribution
to operations in the
region.An F-22A of the 27th Fighter Squadron departs after
receiving fuel from a KC-135R Stratotanker, assigned to
the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, during
a mission in support of Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’
August 22, 2017. USAF/SSgt Michael Battles(^82) RAPTOR
combat report DEPLOYED OPERATIONS
82-93 Frontline C.indd 82 28/09/2017 15:01