"We have never had this many Raptors deployed together in the Pacific Air Forces area of operations," Gen. Ken Wilsbach, Pacific Air Forces commander, told CNN. The US Air Force has around 180 F-22s in its fleet, although only about half are mission capable at any one time due to maintenance requirements, according to Air Force statistics. A US Air Force F-22 Raptor lines up next to three F-15E Strike Eagles at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, in 2017. Wilsbach, the Pacific Air Forces commander, called Pacific Iron "one of the most complex deployments we have ever organized." Air Force Tech.

Source: CNN July 16, 2021 03:48 UTC