First Outing For U.S. Stealth Jet in Raid on ISIS

HONOLULU, Hawaii – The U.S. campaign of air strikes against Islamic State targets in northern Syria has included the first ever combat outing for the F-22A Raptor, a multi-billion dollar stealth fighter jet that took 20 years in the making and was once dubbed a “white elephant”.

The Raptor was deployed in the second round of three waves of U.S. air strikes, which began on September 22, targeting an ISIS compound northwest of al-Raqqa in Syria. The U.S. Central Command (Centcom) released a video of the successful attack.

Lt. Gen. William Mayville, director of operations for the joint chiefs of staff, said strikes carried out early on September 23 involved the F-22A Raptor, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16S Falcon, B-1 Lancer, and F-18 Hornet aircraft.

Other operations have involved drones and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) launched from USS Arleigh Burke and USS Philippine Sea, stationed in the international waters of the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf.

Domestic critics long argued that the F-22A, which cost around $65 billion and two decades to develop, was a waste of taxpayers’ money. When the Raptor finally entered service in 2005, the U.S. was involved in counter-insurgency combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there was no practical use for such a sophisticated fighter jet designed primarily to shoot down enemy aircrafts without being detected.

Its baptism of fire last month was the first combat debut for the world’s only operational fifth generation air-superiority fighter since it became operational in 2005.

Even after the anti-ISIS strike, critics argued that using the sophisticated jet against radical militants was a case of overkill.

The Raptor as a 5th generation fighter jet has stealth capabilities, which means it is hard to detect by radars. Some military experts argue that possible threat from the Syrian anti-air defense system could be the reason that necessitated the deployment of this stealthy jet.

However, Cpt. Foot Wong, a Raptor pilot in the 199th Fighter Squadron Unit stationed at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, said he did not think that was relevant to the Syrian theatre.

“The anti-air defense system of the Syrian state is outdated and does not pose a real threat. I believe the F-22As were deployed in that mission because they are stationed in that theatre in the Middle East, so it was normal to use them,” Wong told Rudaw.

Twenty F-22As are stationed at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii as part of the Hawaii Air National Guard.

The pilot could not reveal details of the aircraft’s deployment in the Middle East.

However, based on photos taken by independent photographers and others released by the U.S. government, experts believe that there are six F-22As from the 3rd Fighter Wing stationed in Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates.

The pilot said of the first mission over Syria: “It was actually a good answer to the critics out there who were claiming that the F-22A Raptor was useless. It is true that the F-22A is an air superiority fighter, but it also has air-to-ground capabilities.”

The F-22A has had problems since it went into service nine years ago. In 2010, one crashed in Alaska, killing its pilot. The problem was traced back to a malfunction in the on-board oxygen generating system. A number of pilots have also reported experiencing hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation.

Wong commented: “I think the problem has been solved. I have been flying this aircraft for four years now and I have not experienced any such symptoms.”

The F-22A might be the most advanced and expensive fighter jet in the world, but during exercises with allied fighter jets such as the Eurofighter, there were cases of some European fighter jets coming out on top.

“It is true that the F-22A is the most advanced fighter jet in the world, but pilot skills are also important,” the Hawaii pilot said.

“Sometimes pilot errors could mean losing the technological advantage of the F-22A over less advanced fighters,” added Wong.

Asked whether the F-22A deployment was just a one-time publicity stunt or it would be used in further strikes against ISIS, Wong said: “I really do not know. Our duty as fighter pilots is to be ready at all times and obey whenever the order comes. That’s all I can say.”

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