One super display of firepower and coordination just raised the bar for air-to-air missile deployment by the 94th Fighter Squadron of the U.S. Air Force at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. This September, during the Weapons System Evaluation Program, WSEP, here at Tyndall Air Force Base, the squadron was able to successfully load and fire 28 air-to-air missiles from a non-paired F-22 Raptor unit. This beats the previous record of twenty-two missiles set in 2014 by the 90th FS from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
The exercise involved Airmen from the 94th FS and the 94th Fighter Generation Squadron and validated the operational readiness and excellence in teamwork of the unit. “It essentially tells the Air Force that our unit is prepared to deploy and if they did installation us, how well we would perform as compared to other squadrons,” said Staff Sgt. Edgar Baez-Lopez, an aircraft armament structures craftsman with the 94th FGS.
Configured with a mix of Sidewinder and AMRAAM missiles, the F-22 Raptor was fitted out with weaponry valued at more than $14 million. Deploying both inner gun bays and outside hardpoints, this fit made it an absolute flying missile platform. This exercise also included the launching of the F-22’s M61A2 Vulcan-a six-barrel, 20mm rotary cannon-just to show off the comprehensive fight capability of the plane.
Senior Master Sgt. Jared Robinson emphasized the team spirit and communication between the operations and protection sides of the squadron. The exercise not only tested the unit’s ability to load and fire a large range of missiles but also their ability to maintain high levels of coordination under pressure.
This is due to the ability boom in radar go-segment caused by outside hardpoints compromised the stealth abilities of the F-22. However, in “Day Three” war situations when enemy anti-air systems are neutralized, the want for maximum stealth is reduced. In such situations, the F-22 can leverage its superior dogfighting talents and big missile loadout to dominate the skies.
Success within the 94th FS during WSEP 22-12 underlined readiness at the unit level to perform real international combat tasks. This sport is necessary because each pilot and floor crew needs to know how to prepare themselves for the most-querulous situations. According to Staff Sgt. Baez-Lopez, 28 missiles fired from one F-22 unit are “unprecedented,” it showed the functionality of the squadron in pushing boundaries toward excellence on one hand.
Those rigorous education sporting activities point toward the obvious commitment of the Air Force to retaining and enhancing the capabilities of the finest air-to-air fight platform. The F-22 Raptor keeps adapting, and its function is vitally important when it comes to making sure air superiority.