Airmen from the 15th and 154th Wings at Joint Base Pearl-Harbor Hickam, Hawaii, exercised the newest approach to fighter employment Nov. 20-24 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
Rapid Raptor, which is still in the proof-of-concept phase, uses at least one C-17 to swiftly move, refuel and rearm a minimum of four F-22s in unfamiliar, austere environments.
"The ability to launch F-22s to a nontraditional location with a complement of additional pilots, embedded maintenance, as well as fuel and munitions, allows for unprecedented flexibility in 5th generation fighter aircraft deployment," said Lt. Col. David Eaglin, Pacific Air Forces' Chief of Current Operations and Power Projection Division.
These small detachments of U.S. fighters performing short-duration deployments will ultimately strengthen the overall U.S. posture with a smaller footprint than traditional expeditionary forces or theater security packages.
"This concept embodies the fundamental tenants of air power: speed, flexibility and surprise," said Eaglin. "Rapid Raptor, once operationalized, will enable us to deploy to and operate from austere locations with a contained cell of personnel and equipment. This will provide us a much greater capability to swiftly respond in support of security and stability in the region."
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