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Raptors wrap up Guam deployment

HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii — The Air Force has been breaking in its new fleet of F-22s this summer by sending five of the planes from cool and dry Alaska to hot and humid Guam.

The July 18 to Aug. 2 deployment from Elmendorf Air Force Base’s 90th Fighter Squadron to the U.S. territory marked just the second time the F-22 has ventured outside the U.S. Its first such trip was early last year, when Pacific Air Forces sent 12 Raptors from Langley Air Force Base, Va., to Okinawa for three months.

While on Guam, the Raptors practiced defending the island by dropping 20 live bombs on Farallon de Medinilla, a military target range in the nearby U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Guam deployment offered the Elmendorf crews a chance to grow accustomed to flying and maintaining the F-22 in the territory’s climate.

It also signaled to countries in the region how important the Asia-Pacific is to U.S. security interests.

“Guam is a very strategic location,” said Maj. Lance Hobson, the 13th Air Force chief of fighter operations. “There’s always potential for instability in the region. By exercising our forward presence in a place like Guam, it gives us better capability and demonstrates our dedication to the region.”

The F-22 Raptors, which have unrivaled ability to fly at supersonic speeds for long periods and travel undetected by radar, have been operational for less than three years.

The military has plans to buy 183 F-22s, which cost around $160 million apiece.