Lockheed Martin has delivered the 15th F-22 of the year to the Air Force. This airframe, with tail number 4168, flew from the company’s Marietta, Ga., assembly facility to Langley AFB, Va., on Tuesday. It’s the 88th consecutive Raptor delivered ahead of schedule and the 168th delivered overall, according to a company release. Langley is home to the 1st Fighter Wing that operates two squadrons of combat-ready F-22s.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.