While we don’t yet have much detail on how many were used, what munitions were used or what targets they hit, F-22s were used in last night’s air strikes in Syria against ISIL and al Qaeda.
F-22s flew in the second of three waves of attacks launched against ISIL targets in Syria, Lt. Gen. William C. Mayville, the Joint director of operations, told reporters during a briefing on last night’s air strikes.
The F-22 Raptors were mostly present to protect other aircraft from both surface-to-air missiles and from the fighter jets of Syria and Iran, said Robbin Laird, a defense consultant here known for his in-depth knowledge of the F-22.
For the Air Force, this is a talismanic moment. The F-22 is considered the world’s ultimate fighter with its supercruise capability, stealth and superior maneuverability. But it has, until last night, not been used in combat operations, leading to mocking comments directed at the expensive aircraft which former Defense Secretary Robert Gates capped at 187 planes. That drought has ended, and with good reason say two of America’s most highly regarded experts on air warfare.
“Effective planning requires the use of the right force at the right place at the right time,” Dave Deptula, the man who ran the air war in Afghanistan, says in an email. “The F-22 is the world’s most advanced combat aircraft and has the ability to negate the effectiveness of threat air defense systems. That’s why it was used in this case. There was no ‘dry spell;’ rather the previous operations in the permissive airspace of Iraq and Afghanistan did not require their capabilities.”
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