U.S. Jets Deployed to Poland, Romania Are ‘Prepared to Scramble’ in Support of NATO Air Policing

U.S. Jets Deployed to Poland, Romania Are ‘Prepared to Scramble’ in Support of NATO Air Policing

Feb. 11, 2022 | By Abraham Mahshie

Sixteen U.S. Air Force fighter jets have deployed to Poland and Romania in recent days to support Baltic enhanced air policing and to reassure NATO eastern flank allies in the face of heightened Russian activity, U.S. Air Forces in Europe told Air Force Magazine.

Eight F-16s from the 52nd Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, deployed to Fetesti Air Base, Romania, on Feb. 11; and eight F-15s from the 48th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, U.K., landed in Lask, Poland, on Feb. 10 as part of the enhanced air policing mission and to conduct bilateral training with NATO Allies.

Russia has amassed more than 130,000 troops on three sides of Ukraine and increased its Black Sea naval presence to include landing vessels. On Feb. 10 it began a joint military exercise with Belarus, whose border is just 100 miles from Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. While Ukraine is not a NATO member, eastern flank allies fear a Russian incursion and redefined European borders ultimately will put them at risk.

Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and NATO Air Command chief Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian said the jets are part of America’s commitment to NATO defense.

“The deployment of U.S. F-15s to Poland elevates the collective defense capabilities on NATO’s Eastern flank and the enhanced Air Policing mission,” Harrigian said in a statement. “The commitment of U.S. aircraft and Airmen demonstrates the solidarity of the Alliance, as we continue to work together in unity to execute our defensive mission.”

USAFE spokesperson Capt. Eric Anthony said the jets will be at the ready for NATO orders.

“They will also have aircraft on standby to scramble, if required to do so, to support the NATO enhanced air policing mission,” he said by phone from Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

While Air Force participation in NATO air policing missions is pre-planned, the additional jets are the result of Russia’s troop buildup on the border of Ukraine, which shares borders with several eastern flank allies.

“There’s a linkage,” Anthony underscored. “We want to support our NATO allies, however possible, and making sure that fighters are in the right location to help NATO’s defensive posture is part of that.”

Since December, the Air Force has increased its air policing missions, first in Lask, then with two rotations in Amari, Estonia, in January that concluded Feb. 4, followed by the deployments in the last two days.

USAFE said the number of jets is meant to increase the air presence on the eastern flank of the alliance.

“You’ve seen the uptick, and the recent intel reports that were declassified and are circulating the net right now,” Anthony said, referring to reports released by the National Security Council.

The Biden administration reportedly has coordinated closely with the National Security Council to release a series of intelligence reports, including Russian preparations for “false flag” operations, in an effort to deter Russia from invading Ukraine.

President Joe Biden was on the phone with NATO allies the morning of Feb. 11, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was scheduled to brief at the White House at 2 p.m. in what many believed would be an announcement about further deterrence measures by the NATO alliance to deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Finland Formalizes Deal for 64 Block 4 F-35s

Finland Formalizes Deal for 64 Block 4 F-35s

Feb. 11, 2022 | By John A. Tirpak

Finland finalized its $9.4 billion purchase of 64 Lockheed Martin F-35s and support services, signing a letter of offer and acceptance, announced Feb. 11, that calls for the jets to be delivered before the end of 2030. The agreement provides Finland with industrial participation on the program.

The F-35A conventional-takeoff jets will be of the Block 4 configuration and replace Finland’s F/A-18C/D fighters, which will be phased out as the new aircraft arrive, starting in 2025. In addition to providing Finland with a fifth-generation fighter, the deal will provide Finnish companies “high technology engineering and manufacturing economic benefits,” Lockheed Martin F-35 vice president and program manager Bridget Lauderdale said in a press statement.

“The production work will continue for more than 20 years, and the F-35 sustainment work will continue into the 2060s,” Lauderdale said. Finland will produce significant portions of the F-35’s forward fuselage for itself and other customers. It will also produce structural components and “equipment testing and maintenance capability,” the Finnish defense ministry said in a Dec. 10 release. Finnish industry may also be involved in final assembly of the fighter’s F135 engine.  

Industrial participation was a contingency of the sale. Finland told fighter competitors in 2018 that the acquisition had to include industrial offsets valued at 30 percent or more of the eventual contract.

The Finnish defense ministry, in the Dec. 10 release, said the industrial agreement “is to develop and maintain the production, technology and expertise in the defense and security industry that is critical with respect to national defense, state security and functions vital to society, as well as to improve and safeguard the national security of supply.” The ministry said offsets will directly create “4,500 person-years” of jobs in Finland and 1,500 person-years of indirect labor.  

The acquisition will be managed through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. It includes engines, maintenance equipment, spare parts, training equipment, and service.

A separate letter of acceptance will be signed later this year for the provision of Sidewinder and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles to equip the fighters, and Finland said it will sign agreements for air-to-ground munitions “later.” Finland already has a number of American munitions types that can be carried by the F-35, including the stealth AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile.

The F-35 was selected over the Saab JAS-39 Gripen, Dassault’s Rafale, and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet version of the fighter Finland has been operating since the 1990s.

Finnish defense minister Antti Kaikkonen said in a comparison of “military performance” of the finalists, the F-35 “best met our needs.”

In addition to seven development partners who are buying and operating the F-35, the sale to Finland marks the eighth FMS customer for the jet, making 15 operators worldwide. Turkey, which was an original development partner, and had actually accepted four F-35s, was expelled from the program over that country’s decision to buy the Russian S400 air defense system, which would have compromised the stealth fighter’s secrets.

Finland is an unaligned nation, but the eduskunta, its parliament, has over the past few years discussed joining NATO. Switzerland is also neutral but ordered 36 of the jets last fall; it has not yet formalized the sale with a letter of acceptance. Finnish neighbor Norway, which is part of NATO, already operates the F-35.  

Replacing the E-3: USAF Asks Companies How They Could Build Prototypes in 5 Years

Replacing the E-3: USAF Asks Companies How They Could Build Prototypes in 5 Years

Feb. 10, 2022 | By Amanda Miller

Replacing the Air Force’s “challenged” E-3 Sentry fleet came closer to reality with a recent request for information.

The Air Force’s AWACS Advanced Capabilities Branch wants to know how companies can deliver prototypes of a replacement for the airborne warning and control system, or AWACS, airplane by fiscal 2028. The RFI doesn’t guarantee the government will start a program of record, but Air Force officials have repeatedly lamented the aging aircraft’s viability.

In spite of recent upgrades, the E-3 is “challenged at the moment because of how old it is,” commander of Pacific Air Forces Gen. Kenneth F. Wilsbach said at the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium in February 2021. “It’s harder and harder to get airborne.”

Wilsbach said he wanted Boeing’s 737-based E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to replace the E-3—itself based on Boeing’s 707-320B. The Air Force asked Boeing in October 2021 to do “studies, analyses, and activities” to figure out the work needed to make the baseline E-7 compatible with the Air Force’s standards and mandates.

Originally made for the Royal Australian Air Force, now the U.K., South Korea, and Turkey have also selected the E-7.

The E-3s perform all-weather surveillance of the air and sea, including airspace in excess of a 250-mile radius “from surface to stratosphere,” according to Air Force Magazine’s 2021 Air Force and Space Force Almanac. 

The Air Force has asked companies to explain how they could deliver two prototypes of a replacement, with associate ground and training equipment, within five years starting in fiscal 2023. A list of required features includes an advanced 360-degree radar and the ability to take on six battle management command and control missions, or BMC2, at once.

Companies’ unclassified responses, due by March 10, must address cybersecurity; range, ceiling, and attainable surveillance coverage on a 10-hour mission; and specifics of BMC2 activities involving sensors, tracks, targets, communications, fighter command and control, and tasking.

Unclear Definitions Risk to Success in Fielding Autonomous Aircraft

Unclear Definitions Risk to Success in Fielding Autonomous Aircraft

Feb. 10, 2022 | By John A. Tirpak

Successfully introducing new, unmanned aircraft in the Air Force, with varying degrees of autonomy, is at risk as long as there’s widespread disagreement about what an “autonomous” aircraft actually is, according to an upcoming paper from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The think-tank urges the Air Force to set common definitions so that requirements-setters and engineers don’t work at cross-purposes.

The defense community is rapidly coming to “a consensus that unmanned aircraft will be essential to future force designs,” Mitchell researcher Heather Penney said in a discussion with reporters ahead of publication of a new paper, “Beyond Pixie Dust: A Framework for Understanding and Developing Autonomy in Unmanned Aircraft.” Autonomous aircraft can “affordably increase” the size of the air fleet, she said, which is essential because of greater expected wartime attrition “than we’ve experienced over a generation.” Autonomous aircraft will also offer new operational concepts that will present enemies with “operational dilemmas.”

But there are almost as many definitions of “autonomy” as there are people working in the field, she said.

“We need to be on the same page,” Penney warned. Without having “a shared understanding across the entire enterprise” of what autonomy “is and what it means for unmanned aircraft—we face a very real risk of failing in this endeavor.” Common understanding is needed to avoid development delays, failed acquisitions, late-to-need operational concepts, and a resistance in the force to accepting and using autonomous systems.  

She said the Air Force plans and requirements shop recognizes the need for a defined autonomy lexicon and is working on “a framework,” but “our development is further along than where they are, right now.”

Existing Pentagon methods of categorizing unmanned aircraft have to do with how large and heavy they are, or the altitudes at which they fly, but don’t assess their level of autonomic action, she noted.

Automation, Penney explained, defines how a washing machine works: it can be programmed to carry out a set series of tasks, but it can’t sense an imbalanced load, stop and “re-balance itself.” Autonomy, on the other hand, can sense and adapt to new conditions, and she made an analogy to the “R2-D2” robot in Star Wars: a machine able to assess and anticipate, and take unplanned action within the limits of its programming.

A “you know it when you see it” definition of autonomy won’t work, Penney asserted.

Mitchell “aligned our understanding of ‘automation’ as deterministic programming, and ‘autonomy’ with machine learning,” because it “matches our expectations of behavior.” Operators tend to believe that automated systems are programmed with “fixed and highly scripted” behavior, “like an autopilot: predictable, rigid, repeatable … The same inputs yield the same outputs” and the system cannot respond in real time to the unexpected. An autopilot can’t fly itself around a thunderstorm, she noted. But operators think of autonomous systems as independent, self-directed, and adaptive.

Penney said the Society of Automotive Engineers has a good starting point in their standards for what constitutes automation and autonomy in driven and self-driven cars. On a five-level scale, Level 0-2 means the human is driving and must supervise operation, even with gadgets such as blind spot warnings, automatic braking, lane centering, and adaptive cruise control operating. But for levels of 3-4,  the human is not driving, and the vehicle can operate in most scenarios, with the human taking over at times. At level 5, the car itself can operate safely under all conditions and doesn’t require human intervention.

Using a similar model will help operators talk to engineers about what they need and don’t need the autonomous platform to do, to achieve the desired effect. In some cases, Penney said, “less autonomy is the better solution.” The model will allow definition of levels of autonomy within categories of unmanned aircraft, and “levels of behavior within each category.”

Engineers can then translate what operators need and break it down into functions, technologies, and data. Their expectations will match.

The standards Mitchell will propose don’t govern weapons like loitering munitions, but unmanned aircraft that are expected to return from their missions, Penney noted.     

Having a common lexicon is crucial, she said, because pilots who have to collaborate with autonomous machine wingmen will not trust them unless they understand exactly how these new systems will behave under a range of circumstances. Without a common lexicon, confusion across the Defense Department is almost guaranteed, Penney said. And in discussions with many facets of the community, lack of trust was always stated as the No. 1 risk in getting autonomous systems fielded.

Common definitions are also crucial to getting agreement between Congress, “on what it thinks its buying,” and what the Air Force’s “strategic planners envision, what operational warfighters need, and what aerospace engineers” expect to deliver. Differing expectations will thwart rapid development of the field, Penney said, and this is a peril because adversaries are moving rapidly in the field of autonomous systems.

Senior leaders are also divesting systems and “collapsing” force structure “on the belief that these future systems will mature and field on time, and do the things they think they’re going to do,” Penney said. Mitchell wants those decisions to be informed by a true understanding of what unmanned aircraft can or will do.

AFA Leaders Call on Congress to Break Cycle of CRs Funding Pentagon

AFA Leaders Call on Congress to Break Cycle of CRs Funding Pentagon

Feb. 10, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

Congressional leaders say they have made a significant breakthrough toward agreeing to a budget for fiscal year 2022—more than four months after the fiscal year began. But Air Force Association leaders are calling on lawmakers to break what has become a nearly-annual tradition of continuing resolutions to fund the Pentagon and other federal agencies.

“Our position is the CRs have got to go away,” AFA chairman and retired Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Gerald Murray said in a virtual press conference Feb. 10, detailing a letter sent by AFA leadership to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Appropriations Committee chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and ranking member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), urging them to pass a defense budget. 

“We’ve got to get back into where there’s regular scheduled budgeting and then the passage of defense bills, because already that’s a six-month delay,” Murray added. “It’s short notice right now for how priorities will be set by both services, and then nothing is even started for next year. And so CRs cannot be the way and should not in any way be the way that we … prioritize defense. That’s kind of the bottom line to it.”

Murray’s comments come one day after appropriators in the House and Senate announced they had agreed to “a framework for fiscal year 2022 appropriations,” setting the stage for Congress to finally pass a full budget. Since Oct. 1, the government has been operating under a series of continuing resolutions, keeping funding levels frozen at the previous year’s level with only a few exceptions. 

Pentagon officials have frequently bemoaned the effects of continuing resolutions, saying they delay new starts to programs, slow acquisitions, and keep money stuck in the wrong accounts. In a recent Congressional hearing, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. warned that a full-year CR, threatened by some in Congress, would be “shattering.”

Yet operating under CRs for at least part of the year has become the norm for the Defense Department in recent years—the department has started 12 of the last 13 fiscal years under a CR, with fiscal 2019 being the lone exception.

This cycle not only slows new programs, it also costs money. Murray cited Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) in saying that a full-year CR costs the Pentagon $36 billion in buying power. Those losses are especially crucial given the badly-needed modernization efforts currently being undertaken by the Air Force, added AFA President retired Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright.

“We have a geriatric Air Force, and it’s not just geriatric in [terms of] the age of B-52s, as we’re trying to upgrade them,” Wright said. “But, you know, there are capabilities out there that not only need to be upgraded, but [need to be replaced]. We need to move on, to Next Gen Air Dominance, and a system of systems approach that includes JADC2 and ABMS, to build an asymmetric capability to deter, and certainly to fight and win, against the pacing threats of the Chinese military.”

Both Wright and Murray also pointed to the Air Force’s push to modernize the air and land legs of the nuclear triad as efforts that cannot be delayed. Brown told Congress the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent’s initial operating capability could be pushed past 2029, the Long Range Standoff Weapon by over a year, and the conventional initial operating capability and nuclear certification of the B-21 up to a year if CRs persist.

“Clearly modernization and funding for GBSD and … to field the new bomber … are critically important—never more important,” Wright said, than at any point since he first put on a uniform more than 50 years ago.

But perhaps the biggest impact continued CRs could have is on the fledgling Space Force. Established just over two years ago, the Space Force has existed under a CR for roughly seven months out of its 25 in existence. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond told the Congressional panel that continued CRs would impact the service’s ability to establish itself, and Murray agreed that a frequent cycle of CRs could cripple the Space Force.

“I don’t see the ability for the Space Force to be able to build [to] where and what it needs to if we’re going to be in a continuous … loop of CRs,” Murray said.

There is hope, though, added Wright. 

“What I think I see is great growing bipartisan collaboration, in fact, to recognize the reality of the threat,” Wright said. “Our nation’s at great risk, and we can’t ignore that. The threat doesn’t allow us any longer to just try to keep old cars running.”

While Congressional leaders say they’ve agreed to the basics of a deal, there’s still likely to be one more CR before a budget passes. The current CR expires Feb. 18, and the House recently passed another that would extend that funding through March 11. Schumer, in a floor speech on Feb. 10, said the Senate would look to pass that bill next week. If approved, it would be the third continuing resolution since the fiscal year began on Oct. 1, 2021.

Contract Aggressor Jet Crashes in Arizona, Pilot Ejects Safely

Contract Aggressor Jet Crashes in Arizona, Pilot Ejects Safely

Feb. 10, 2022 | By Amy Hudson

A contract Mirage F1 crashed in an unpopulated area about 15 miles outside of Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., around 11 a.m. on Feb. 10. The pilot safely ejected and is being treated for minor injuries, but the aircraft was destroyed, according to officials. 

Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, which owns and operates the Luke-based F1 fleet, provides adversary air services in support of the F-35 formal training unit at the base. 

“ATAC is investigating the incident and will work with relevant authorities to determine the cause and take any remedial action that is necessary,” according to an ATAC statement. “We ask for your understanding as we work through all the details of this investigation. ATAC will provide more information as it becomes available.” 

The company “paused” F1 flight operations “in order to conduct an initial investigation and assess the status of the F1 fleet,” a company spokesman told Air Force Magazine.

Air Combat Command in 2020 awarded ATAC two contracts worth up to $240 million over the course of 4.5 years to fly adversary, or “Red Air,” missions at Luke and at the F-16 FTU at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. The company said at the time it would base six jets at each location. ATAC acquired the F1s from the French Air Force in 2017.

The contracts were part of a larger multi-award effort worth up to $6.4 billion for as many as 40,000 hours of adversary air at 12 bases, freeing up Air Force pilots for other training and operations. 

This was not the first contract Aggressor to crash. Since the Air Force kickstarted the adversary air industry, there have been at least four accidents. A Mirage F1 pilot employed by Florida-based Draken International was killed in May 2021 when his aircraft crashed during a training mission at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. In February 2021, two ATAC pilots were treated for non-life threatening injuries after their F1s crashed while supporting operations at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. And, in 2018, the Hawaii Air National Guard temporarily suspended Exercise Sentry Aloha after an ATAC Hawker Hunter crashed in the waters a few miles off the coast. The pilot safely ejected and was rescued by a civilian sailboat.

“Our Airmen and partners are our most important resource and we are committed to conducting our mission to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots as safely as possible,” said Brig. Gen. Gregory Kreuder, 56th Fighter Wing commander, in a release. “We are thankful for the continued outstanding support Luke receives from our community partners, especially during difficult situations like this. Finally, I’m grateful nobody was hurt on the ground and the pilot was safely recovered with only minor injuries.”

B-52 Bomber Task Force Deploys to RAF Fairford

B-52 Bomber Task Force Deploys to RAF Fairford

Feb. 10, 2022 | By John A. Tirpak

Four B-52s from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., deployed to RAF Fairford, U.K., on Feb. 10 for a notional three-week stay, during which they will exercise with NATO allies and partner nations.

En route to Fairford, the bombers, from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot, were intercepted by British Typhoon fighters and Portuguese F-16s exercising under the Icelandic Air Policing mission, according to a U.S. Air Forces in Europe release. Afterward they conducted a bilateral Joint Tactical Air Controller close air support exercise with British ground forces.

“The mission focused on enhancing readiness and interoperability for the controllers responsible for coordinating airstrikes to support ground forces,” USAFE said.

A U.S. Strategic Command spokesperson said the bomber task force was “long planned” but not previously announced. Such deployments typically last about three weeks, she said, but “could move to the right or left” depending on the security situation. Due to operational security, she could not discuss planned training engagements with NATO allies or other partners during the BTF.

Neither USAFE nor STRATCOM linked the bomber deployment to the unfolding security situation in Ukraine.

Air Force Global Strike Command confirmed that the bombers arrived in the U.K. but could not say how many support personnel deployed with the B-52s. Such deployments can involve as many as 200 people.

USAFE-AFAFRICA commander Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian said that “with an ever-changing global security environment, it’s critical that our efforts with our allies and partners are unified.” Consistent collaboration and integration “is how we strengthen our collective airpower.”

A bomber task force of B-1Bs from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, deployed to Fairford for 45 days in October 2021, during which the aircraft conducted operations in the vicinity of the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, among other locations, practicing agile combat employment, Harrigian said at the time. The Lancers also practiced cooperative missions with F-35s from Norway.

The last B-52 bomber task for to deploy to Europe was from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., in May and June 2021. During that deployment, the bombers operating the European, Indo-Pacific, and Middle East theaters.

Ramstein Air Base is Ready for a Russia Contingency, but Not a ‘Worst-Case Scenario’

Ramstein Air Base is Ready for a Russia Contingency, but Not a ‘Worst-Case Scenario’

Feb. 10, 2022 | By Abraham Mahshie

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany—The two 10,000-foot runways at Ramstein Air Base were quiet and the flight line was calm under overcast skies and a blistering winter wind Feb. 4 as base commanders from three wings juggled priorities from two theaters and prepared for a Russia contingency.

“That’s an ever-changing, crazy chess match in a lot of ways,” Brig. Gen. Joshua M. Olson, commander of the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein, told Air Force Magazine when asked if the air base is prepared to support contingencies related to tensions in the east.

“As contingencies go right now, again, I think we’re doing it, unfortunately, on the backs of our Airmen,” Olson added, describing demands by both U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command.

“As tensions in the East rise, that’s interesting, but there’s a lot of tensions in the South,” he explained. “We’re getting stretched thin as we’re pulled into all the things going on in AFRICOM, all the things going on in EUCOM, and then having to prioritize, OK, what one’s more important?”

Three wings at Ramstein—the 86th, the 435th Air Expeditionary Wing, and the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing—support two theaters under United States Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa jurisdiction. With U.S. forces beginning to move to NATO’s eastern flank to reassure allies in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the 86th is preparing for what may come.

“We’re always ready,” the commander assured. “We have some tools. But again, it’s a full array of options that we have to be ready for, right? So, do we have worst-case scenario tools? No. Do we have the fight-tonight tools? Absolutely.”

U.S. Air Forces in Europe commander Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian said planning and movement of assets is already underway to defend NATO allies in the event of Russian aggression.

“We’ve been moving airplanes in support of NATO activities,” Harrigian told Air Force Magazine on the sidelines of the African Air Chiefs symposium in Kigali, Rwanda. Harrigian also leads U.S. Air Forces Africa and is dual-hatted as commander of NATO’s Allied Air Command, which is co-located at Ramstein.

“We’ve been able to work that between USAFE and AIRCOM because the planners are talking to each other,” Harrigian said. “It’s not only been the people,” he said, “but we’ve sorted out a lot of the interoperability challenges we’ve had of sharing info from our classified systems … to the NATO systems.”

USAFE public affairs chief Col. Robert A. Firman told Air Force Magazine at his Ramstein office that the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing has already moved forward to assist the Army’s deployment on the eastern flank, bringing multidisciplinary command and control and combat enablers to Poland and other locations. A NATO Baltic air policing rotation led by U.S. F-15s that ran Jan. 26-Feb. 4 also increased the frequency of its sorties.

The 3,000 Army Soldiers that made their way to the eastern flank did not pass through Ramstein but transited Germany at U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr at Vilseck on Feb. 3.

Firman said Ramstein was positioned to support President Joe Biden’s orders and the needs of the NATO alliance.

The spokesman pointed out the close level of coordination.

“We are working hard to stay in close touch with our NATO partners—we’re 200 meters away,” Firman said, noting the flurry of meetings taking place. “We’re getting ready for 24-hour ops, postured to be prepared for whatever happens.”

Olson shared the assessment that Ramstein is ready for whatever the Secretary of Defense or NATO partners require, whether that be loading C-130s, aeromedical evacuation, airlift, or airdrop needs. All will be ready.

“We are more than prepared for whatever Russia decides in Ukraine, and NATO decides to do,” he said.

Air Force Deploying F-22s to UAE, CENTCOM Boss Says

Air Force Deploying F-22s to UAE, CENTCOM Boss Says

Feb. 10, 2022 | By Greg Hadley

The Air Force is sending a squadron of F-22s to the United Arab Emirates “over the next week or so,” U.S. Central Command boss Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. told the official UAE news agency Feb. 8.

The F-22 Raptors will be tasked with helping the UAE respond to recent drone and missile strikes by Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels that have killed several and threatened American personnel stationed in the Gulf nation.

“We’re going to bring in a squadron of F-22 fighters, the best air superiority fighter in the world, and they will also work with their UAE partners to defend the nation of United Arab Emirates,” McKenzie said in an interview with Emirates News Agency (WAM) during a visit to UAE.

In addition to the F-22s, the U.S. is also deploying the USS Cole, a guided missile destroyer, to help defend UAE, McKenzie said.

McKenzie’s comments follow up on a pledge by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III during a Feb. 1 phone call with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to deploy fifth-generation fighters to the country.

In his interview with WAM, McKenzie said, “we would like to work against drones what we call ‘Left of Launch,’ [which means] before they can be launched.”

“And if you can’t do that, you will certainly be able to shoot them down as they reach their intended target,” he added.

U.S. Central Command has yet to respond to an Air Force Magazine inquiry as to how many F-22s will be deployed to UAE and in what capacity the stealth fighters will be used.

Their arrival will come at a moment of high tension in the region. Houthi rebels have increased their launches into Emirati territory, though the UAE has been able to shoot several of those missiles down. McKenzie has pointed to Iran as the suppliers of those missiles. 

U.S. troops are stationed in UAE at Al Dhafra Air Base and have had to shelter in bunkers during some of these attacks. There have been no American casualties thus far.

F-22s haven’t deployed to UAE for several years now. In 2019, the service pulled the stealth air superiority fighters back from the region in an attempt to mend the fleet and reassess how it based the Raptors. Prior to that, F-22s had been based out of Al Dhafra in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.