The Dubai Air Show, which ran
from November 12-16, drew a
strong contingent of US military
aircraft deployed to the region.
It enabled both a showcase of
American hardware and a useful
chance to catch up on recent
operations.REPORT: Babak Taghvaee
T
HIS YEAR’S DUBAI Air Show in
November was once again an
opportunity for the US military
to showcase some of its assets
that are deployed to the
Central Command (CENTCOM)
region. It drew several participants
from the ongoing Operation ‘Inherent
Resolve’ including a pair of F-15E Strike
Eagles, two F-16CM Fighting Falcons,
two F-22A Raptors, an E-3B AWACS, a
MH-60S Knighthawk, a CH-53E Super
Stallion, an MV-22B Osprey and a KC-
130J Hercules. An AV-8B Harrier II was
also due to attend but was pulled due to
operational commitments.
The Raptors (serials 05-4094 and
05-4095) came from the 95th Fighter
Squadron ‘Boneheads’, which are
currently deployed from their home at
Tyndall AFB, Florida, to Al Dhafra, near
Abu Dhabi. In October the squadron’s
six detached F-22s replaced those of the
27th FS, which headed home to Joint
Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. Having been
the rst squadron to enter the fray in
September 2014, Raptors of the 27th FSA
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