The final leg of the transfer of the first 8 (out of 12) USAF Lockheed Martin F-22s (callsign TABOR) from RAF Lakenheath to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan has begun.
The deployment flight is supported by a Boeing KC-46A (reg. 22-46101 – c/s GOLD13) and a Boeing KC-135R (reg. 59-1505 – c/s GOLD23) from RAF Mildenhall, along with two Boeing KC-135Rs (reg. 58-0129 – c/s GOLD05, 58-0084 -c/s GOLD25) that took off from Morón Air Base in Spain.
This is not the first time the Raptors have been deployed to the Middle East, but it would be naïve to believe that their current deployment to Jordan is unrelated to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran and the potential involvement of U.S. forces.
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