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Four F-22A Raptor stealth jets will arrive at Spangdahlem air base later on Friday to start a deployment in Europe in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.
The aircraft, belonging to 325th Fighter Wing, from Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and using the radio call sign "Tabor 11," are accompanied by two air spares and supported by several tankers along the way, according to the information posted by some very well informed users on Scramble forum.
As happened to the first A-10 Theater Security Package in May, Spangdahlem will be the first stop for the US Raptors that are expected to visit other Eastern Europe air bases.
Newsworthy, the deployment comes just a few days after it was announced by Air Force secretary Deborah James, a sign that a small package of four F-22s can be deployed across the world quite quickly: As already explained, in 2013 the US Air Force conceived a new rapid-deployment concept (dubbed "Rapid Raptor Package") to deploy a package of F-22s (accompanied by a C-17) and supporting logistics to any forward operating base and have the stealth fighter jet ready for combat operations within 24 hours of deploying with a small logistics footprint.
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And this is not the first deployment of Raptors in Europe. Four Raptors deployed to support the F-22 appearance at Farnborough and RIAT airshows (more or less like the F-35s were expected to do last year before they were grounded and forced to cancel) in July 2010.
So it was a sort of airshow deployment that involved four 3rd Wing F-22s at RAF Lakenheath for a couple of weeks.
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