The Air Force’s premier fighter aircraft, along with more than 150 airmen from Langley AFB, Va., have traveled to Hill AFB, Utah, for the first deployment of an F/A-22 squadron. Air Combat Command sent Langley’s 27th Fighter Squadron, the initial operational F/A-22 Raptor unit, to Hill to test the unit’s ability to conduct operations in a “remote” environment. The 27th FS has deployed with pilots and maintainers, as well as intelligence and communications personnel. The goal: Determine whether ACC can declare IOC for the unit in December.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.