Whoo hoo! Our Super Secret Canadian Spy got a look inside the cockpit! Now he can come back and help us design the Arrow 2!

Mike

Air Force, JASDF forces train together

by By Maj. Dani Johnson
18th Wing Public Affairs

5/4/2007 - Kadena Air Base -- Cowboy Picture. Death 01 Push. Commit. Hostile Group. Splash. Cowboy Copy Kill.

For many these words may not seem like they work together, but for fighter pilots conducting air-to-air combat, they are the words they live by.

On April 27, these words were heard over the waters near Okinawa not only with American accents, but also with Japanese voices. Kadena Air Base pilots and pilots from the Japanese Air Self Defense Force conducted dissimilar air combat training, or DACT, which is air-to-air training between different types of aircraft.

Two F-22 Raptors deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va., and two F-15 Eagles from the 18th Operations Group here joined with eight JASDF F-4s and F-15s to enhance interoperability and bilateral relations.

While this was the first time for the Raptors to train with JASDF, Kadena trains with their pilots once every three months, according to Capt. Jeff Hawkins, a F-15 pilot with the 44th Fighter Squadron and one of the pilots who flew in the DACT with the JASDF and Raptors.

The mission for this training was offensive counter-air. While the differences between the cultures are visible on the ground when they are in the air, they each had one goal - to fly, fight and win.

The U.S. aircraft took the offense in the first mission and Japanese led the second, said Lt. Col. Wade Tolliver, F-22 pilot and 27th Fighter Squadron commander. "(JASDF pilots) were very competent, very capable pilots; they did a great job in the training."

One lesson learned, said Colonel Tolliver, is that the JASDF did have the ability to see the Raptor and operate with the aircraft.

"This was the F-22's first employment with the Japanese forces, and we all learned a lot to help us build for the future," said Colonel Tolliver. "This was a great opportunity for both countries to learn about each other and fight together. This training makes the alliance a stronger force here (in the Pacific) and forward."

"The training increases our wartime capabilities," added Captain Hawkins. "By training together, we learn how to support each other."

One area that was a concern prior to the mission, but quickly dissipated, was the possible language barrier.

"Since our deployment here, we've adapted to the local dialect and have become used to the way the Japanese talk," said Colonel Tolliver. "They probably had a more difficult time with my Southern accent than we did with their speaking. The Japanese pilots are held in very high regard and are very professional."

The DACT was one of more than 580 sorties the F-22 has flown since its deployment to Kadena in February. Training together has been a learning experience not just for the Raptors and the Japanese but for local Eagle pilots, as well.

"The Raptor is our only non-legacy aircraft and a new capability; we have to learn work together," said Captain Hawkins. "They (F-22s) can get into areas we aren't able to. Learning how to operate with each other is crucial for the Global War on Terror and future operations."

The one other time the Raptors had trained with another country was when the 27th FS sister squadron, the 94th FS, went to Red Flag at Nellis AFB, Nev., and flew with Australian and British air forces.

U.S. F-22 fighters ending Japan trip

Wed May 9, 1:47 AM ET

TOKYO - A dozen F-22 stealth fighters are finishing their deployment to Japan and are set to return to the United States, ending their first overseas mission, officials said Wednesday.

The fighters, which arrived on the southern Japan island of Okinawa in February, will fly out of Kadena Air Base early Thursday, Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The deployment was intended to show off the fighter's strengths in a region with a complex security balance that is being challenged by the rapid growth of Chinese and North Korean military power. The mission also was aimed at providing training opportunities for the pilots and enhancing cooperation with the Japanese military.

Officials say there are no plans to regularly bring F-22s to Japan after the current mission ends. But F-22 fighters are scheduled to be deployed in Alaska and possibly Hawaii, which would give a significant boost to the Air Force's fire power in the Pacific.

The U.S. is not alone in boosting its air capabilities in Asia.

The arrival of the planes came less than two months after China unveiled its J-10 fighter, which is believed to be one of the most advanced used by any air force in the world today.

Source: <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070509/ap_on_re_as/japan_us_fighters_1">Associated Press</a>

U.S. Ends Deployment of F-22 Raptor Fighters in Japan

By Hideko Takayama

May 9 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. will return 12 F-22 Raptor fighters to their base in Virginia after completing training exercises in Japan in the first overseas deployment of the Air Force's most advanced aircraft, a statement said.

The Raptors, made by Maryland-based Lockheed Martin Corp., were deployed in February for training with other Air Force units at the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. They also trained with Japan's Air Self-Defense Force.

"While at Kadena, the aircraft conducted training in order to accomplish essential Air Force training requirements and fulfill U.S. security obligations in the region,'' said a statement, sent from Kadena by fax. The fighters will return to Langley Air Force Base tomorrow, it said.

The deployment drew protests from locals, including Tokujitsu Miyagi, the mayor of Kadena town, and the mayors of two neighboring towns, due to noise and safety concerns. The Air Force acknowledged their concerns in its statement, saying the early take-offs were essential for safe daytime landings after long flights.

Commanders "understand the noise inconvenience placed upon surrounding communities and carefully consider the operational necessity of early morning departures,'' the statement said. "Base officials ask for understanding from local residents.''

The fighters may be deployed in Japan again, Kyodo News reported today, citing Kevin Maher, the U.S. consul general in Okinawa, Japan's southwestern-most islands.

Japan is considering purchasing the aircraft, a move that may raise tensions with China and North Korea, which conducted its first nuclear test in October last year.

Source: <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a4V9hQHDwRto">Bloomberg</a>

U.S. F-22 fighters ending Japan trip


U.S. Ends Deployment of F-22 Raptor Fighters in Japan

Anyone who thinks this was not a U.S. government-sponsored sales call on behalf of LM needs a quick reality check...

It seems that they might have had a technical problem on departure: <a href="http://www.f-16.net/news_article2320.html">Technical problems delay F-22 Raptors' departure from Okinawa</a>

It was a scheduled deployment. It was not for sales reasons by any means...Check

Deployed F-22s leave Pacific, return to Langley

by Maj. Dani Johnson
18th Wing Public Affairs

5/10/2007 - KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNEWS) -- After almost three months in the Pacific, 12 F-22A Raptors departed here May 10 having completed the first overseas deployment for the Air Force's newest air supremacy aircraft.

The Raptors and more than 250 Airmen assigned to the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va., arrived in Kadena Air Base as part of a regularly scheduled U.S. Pacific Command rotational assignment.

"We learned quite a bit about what we need or don't need (when deploying), whether it is parts or people," said Lt. Col. Wade Tolliver, the 27th FS commander. "We plan on capturing these lessons and continue to build the solution to deploying the F-22."

While at Kadena, the squadron flew more than 600 sorties. The sortie generation was better than expected considering the challenges of getting supplies and support from a home base more than 7,700 miles from the deployed location, Colonel Tolliver said.

"We sustained an incredible utilization rate, and it is a true testament to our maintainers and supply Airmen and all the hard work they do," Colonel Tolliver said.

While in the Pacific, the Raptors trained with F-15 Eagles, E-3 Sentry (AWACS), KC-135 Stratotankers from the 18th Wing, and with the Navy, Marine Corps and Japanese Air Self Defense Force.

"Many of these pilots and aircraft had never flown with the F-22," Colonel Tolliver said. "This gave us a chance to expose the F-22 to our sister services and key allies, allowing all of us to learn how to work together better.

"The F-22 is not here to replace any aircraft, but add another capability to the fight," he said.

Another aspect to the deployment was educating both Americans and foreign nationals in the region on the F-22 capabilities. While here, the squadron conducted almost 30 tours and briefings for visiting dignitaries and held three open house tours for more than 4,000 Americans on Okinawa.

All of the Airmen deployed from Langley AFB became part of Team Kadena. Regardless of the fact the requirements for the aircraft were different than many of the units were used to, everyone stepped up professionally, Colonel Tolliver said.

"The 18th Wing is a busy place," he said. "You get a lot done every day and you integrated us into your team without missing a beat, and we appreciate that."

For Kadena, the deployment was also a chance to demonstrate its capability to receive forces and combine dissimilar fighter aircraft into one airpower team.

"This was big for the base," said Col. Mark Henkel, the 18th Operations Group commander. "We were able to bring this aircraft into the theater and get it ready to go while never stopping our ongoing missions. It was simply outstanding."

Hmm... So you think that Japan's interest in acquiring the aircraft, and the White House's willingness to explore the possibility, was entirely coincidental to a scheduled deployment? That's fair. I hope it doesn't cause offense if I see motives other than, and in addition to, a show of force aimed at China and North Korea in this particular deployment. By the way, I don't mean to impugn the possibility that it may have been undertaken at least partially to showcase the airplane to prospective customers. The U.S. has been engaging in these sales calls for years. There is a strategic reason for doing it, a national defense reason, and, of course, a military-industrial complex reason.

[...] Two aircraft were delayed due to maintenance and are scheduled to depart within a couple of days. [...]

It seems that they might have had a technical problem on departure: <a href="http://www.f-16.net/news_article2320.html">Technical problems delay F-22 Raptors' departure from Okinawa</a>