Tag: combat debut

http://twitter.com/#!/DeptofDefense/status/514432152940052481

This is what happens when the 21st century interacts with terrorists from the 7th century:

CENTCOM video of the first-ever F-22 strike https://t.co/wVeMBOIqc2

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) September 23, 2014

More here from the Wall Street Journal:

The Pentagon’s most advanced fighter plane made its combat debut in the U.S.-led strikes on Syria overnight, serving a crucial purpose for a sensitive mission that depended on stealth.

Pilots flying the F-22 Raptor flew bombing runs over Syria to target the militant Islamic State group, U.S. officials said.

Officials didn’t say what targets the F-22 struck, but said it was used later in the series of strikes, which lasted several hours.

The plane is one of the country’s most expensive—the F-22 program has cost $67 billion and only 188 planes have been built—but U.S. policymakers have been reluctant to use it in combat, in part because its high-end capabilities weren’t needed for militant threats that the U.S. has been focused on for the last decade.

And from the Department of Defense on the different aircraft used in yesterday’s missions:

Learn more about the stealth aircraft used in airstrikes against #ISIL targets in #Syria. http://t.co/zo5JQRweEG

— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) September 23, 2014

 

 

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2014/09/23/watch-the-f-22-make-its-combat-debut-in-syria-video/