combat air power at the time and place of
our choosing must be clearly understood,’
he commented.
This wasn’t the rst time Raptors had
trained in European airspace. In 2010,
F-22s from the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf
AFB, Alaska, spent a short period at
RAF Lakenheath, UK, where they ew
missions with the resident 493rd FS
following participation in the Royal
International Air Tattoo. This time around
the scope was clearly much broader and
was funded by the European Reassurance
Initiative.
Having arrived at Spangdahlem on
Friday August 28, after the weekend two
jets immediately moved on to Łask air
base, Poland, on August 31, alongside
four Spangdahlem F-16CMs. Here, Maj
Gen Christopher Bence, 3rd Air Force
and 17th Expeditionary Air Force vice
commander and Robert Kupiecki, PolishDeputy Minister of National Defence
spoke to reporters. ‘We continually rotate
US forces from the US into Europe, and
this is a part of the training rotation. We
look forward to continue to prove that
fth-generation aircraft can operate in
Europe as we set the foundation for the
future of the F-35 coming to Europe
in just the next few years,’ commented
Bence. Following the successful two-
week stay in Europe, the Raptors headed
for home on September 11.‘BONEHEADS’ ARE BACK!
Another, more comprehensive, F-22
deployment to Europe followed in 2016 as
the 95th deployed en masse to work with
the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath,
England. They arrived with very little notice
for what turned out to be a very public
deployment from April 11 for a month
working alongside the resident 48th FW.Again led by Lt Col Daniel Lehoski, the
95th FS commander, this mission was
another temporary duty deployment
under Operation ‘Atlantic Resolve’, amid
the increased Russian military activity in
the region. The Raptors ew extensively
with the resident 48th FW F-15C Eagles and
F-15E Strike Eagles. Lt Col Lehoski said his
squadron’s deployments to Europe were
related to ‘increasing the F-22’s presence
in Europe’. He added that the detachments
provided unique ‘training opportunities
in Europe and demonstrated the USAF’s
capability to rapidly take the F-22
throughout NATO.’
The deployment was linked to so-called
‘Global Response Force training’. The 48th
FW commander at that time Col Robert
Novotny added: ‘The F-22 deployment
to RAF Lakenheath makes perfect sense.
Lakenheath is the home of combat ghter
aviation in Europe; it’s the place where weAbove: Raptors
have provided a
close air support
capability in
certain areas of
Syria, sometimes
working with
Joint Terminal
Attack Controllers
on the ground,
and also striking
pre-planned
targets with GPS
weapons. USAF/
SSgt Michael
Battles
Above left top
to bottom: F-22
serial 05-4086
departs Tyndall
AFB for the
European
detachment in- USAF/A1C
Sergio A. Gamboa
A 95th Fighter
Squadron Raptor
driver shuts down
at Spangdahlem.
USAF/A1C Luke
Kitterman
(^90) RAPTOR
82-93 Frontline C.indd 90 28/09/2017 15:02