F-22 Raptor officers at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson have been pioneering a new operation concept, known as Rapid Raptor, which enables the rapid deployment of stealth fighters with a limited, yet optimal, support package forward to any operating location. This innovative strategy ensures that these aircraft are prepared to fight within 24 hours of their arrival.
Officials with PACAF, as well as the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf, have already verified this effort enables Raptors to fan out quickly and with fewer logistics-has already paid major dividends. Gen. Herbert J. Carlisle, commander of PACAF, noted a potential enemy has greatly invested in area-denial tactics during the past decade, with designs on picking off fixed Air Force bases. “A potential adversary knows that one of the things about the Air Force is that we launch and recover from fixed bases, which become fairly easily targetable if you want to do something to them,” Carlisle said. The new concept brings in the ability for aircraft to move quickly, making it hard for adversaries to anticipate where they are going to pop up.
It was briefed to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III when he visited Alaska in August. Originally, taking F-22s on a deployment required an immense amount of support- everything from spare parts and munitions to the material needed to keep the jet stealthy. That hurdle encouraged officers to simplify the F-22’s deployment construct.
The new deployment strategy has been vigorously tested in numerous exercises, including this past summer when PACAF F-22s from Hawaii forward-deployed to Wake Island, a small coral atoll about 2,300 miles west of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. For three days, a two-ship flight with 29 airmen showed that F-22s can operate from the island with minimal warning. “We can rapidly deploy to Wake Island, which has the necessary infrastructure in place to support our aircraft and operations.” Lt. Col. Mark E. Ladtkow, 199th Fighter Squadron commander of the Hawaii Air Guard.
The deployment concept is scalable and has a smaller logistics footprint than traditional theater security package deployments to fixed installations. Carlisle made the case that this is a hallmark of “passive defense,” particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, where dispersing high-value assets such as the F-22 and keeping adversaries guessing about their location can greatly alter strategic calculations. “He may know [the Raptors] are there, but by the time he wants to do anything about it, you won’t be there anymore,” Carlisle said.
In a related development, F-22 Raptors with the 90th Fighter Squadron flying out of JBER and F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 18th Aggressor Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base flew a training sortie over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. The exercise marked the official beginning of the centennial celebration for the 3rd Wing here, which has had a long, rich history tracing its roots back to being an Army Surveillance Group in 1919.
The history of the 3rd Wing is among the proudest in the world given being the first to develop new aerial tactics and the first to deploy into combat. The Wing has distinguished itself from World War II to the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Under its heritage are the development of low-altitude strafing tactics and an F-5 Tiger aggressor aircraft testbed during the Vietnam War. Currently, the 3rd Wing remains an important element of U.S. airpower, as elements commonly deploy to take part in top-level exercises like Red Flag-Alaska.
The recent training flight also included an Aggressor F-16 in a one-of-a-kind “BDU Splinter” camouflage, reminiscent of Cold War and Vietnam-era camouflage schemes. A reminder in visuals of rich history and continuous transformation within the 3rd Wing as it evolves to face contemporary combatant demands.