Aircraft Will Be Based At Alaska's Elmendorf AFB

The F-22 Raptor will soon make its presence felt along the United States' northernmost frontier... as representatives from the Air Force and Lockheed Martin gathered Monday to accept the Pacific Air Forces' first advanced fighter.

This latest F-22 will be among 36 others that will make up the first F-22s assigned to PACAF at Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK.

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens said the F-22 will play a key role is guaranteeing American superiority of the sky over the Pacific.

"General Billy Mitchell once observed this: Alaska is the most strategic place in the world ... whoever holds Alaska will hold the world," Stevens said.

The F-22 is the Air Force's newest fighter aircraft. Its combination of stealth, supercruise, maneuverability, and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability, represents an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities. The F-22 performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions allowing full realization of operational concepts vital to the 21st century Air Force.

General Paul V. Hester, the PACAF commander, said the F-22 will show America's continued commitment to maintain peace and stability in the Pacific.

"An important part of this business is to know and show the foes of America ... who stand against our allies and friends ... that you have the capacity, the capability, as well as the will to use that power," he said.

(ANN thanks Senior Airman Anthony Kuhn, Air Force News Agency)

FMI: www.af.mil