United States Central Command (US Centcom) said additional F-22 “Raptor” stealth fighters have been deployed to the Middle East to deal with Russian air forces stationed in Syria.
The US Centcom pointed out in its press release that the F-22s were requested “as part of a multifaceted show of U.S. support and capability in the wake of increasingly unsafe and unprofessional behavior by Russian aircraft in the region.”
“Russian Forces’ unsafe and unprofessional behavior is not what we expect from a professional air force. Their regular violation of agreed upon airspace deconfliction measures increases the risk of escalation or miscalculation,” said Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. “Alongside our partners and allies, we are committed to improving the security and stability in the region.”
“The Raptors are demonstrating the U.S.’ ability to re-posture forces and deliver overwhelming power at a moment’s notice.” the statement added. The F-22 is one of the most advanced air superiority fighters in the world, but the United States has generally had no advanced adversaries against which to use it in recent decades.
“The F-22’s combination of stealth, aerodynamic performance, and mission systems make it the best fifth-generation fighter in the world,” the statement said.
A stealth aircraft is a military aircraft designed to avoid detection by using a variety of technologies that reduce its radar or infrared signature. The F-22 Raptor is indeed difficult and sometimes impossible to be detected by enemy radars.
The US Air Force has four other stealth aircrafts: the Lockheed Martin F-117 Nighthawk which entered service in 1982 and was the first operational before being retired from service in 2008, the Northrop B-2 Spirit strategic bombers and the B -21 Raider, as well as the F-35 Lightning II, the latest of the multirole fighter bombers which equips several allied countries of the United States including Israel.
Russia and, recently, China have so-called “Fifth Generation” stealth aircraft, but neither the Chinese Chengdu J-20 nor the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 have seen combat missions or public presentations. Funding problems (for the Russians) as well as technological deficiencies make experts doubt their operability.
The US Centcom did not specify the location of the deployment of these new devices. However, several F-22s are already deployed at Al-Dhafra air bases in Abu Dhabi and Al-Udeid air bases in Qatar.
Al Dhafra Air Base is located 30 km south of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 225 km from the Iranian coast. It is the largest air base in the country on which are stationed Air Force aircrafts from the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and France.
The Al-Udeid military base in Qatar is the largest US military base in the Middle East. It also hosts a contingent of the British Royal Air Force as well as a significant part of the Qatari and French air forces. This base is the headquarters of US Centcom established in Qatar since 2002.
The Central Command of the United States Army or US Centcom (United States Central Command) is one of the six geographical “Unified combatant command” distributed on the planet.
Roger Barake
