US Deploys World’s Most Advanced Fighter Jet 200 Miles From Iranian Border

By: Andrea Ryan

The U.S. is deploying F-22 Raptor fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates… Iran’s neighbor.  Does the Obama administration know something and they’re not telling us?  Are they guessing at Israel’s behavior and making sure they’re not blindsided?  Or, are they actually assisting an ally against the Iranian threat?

The Jerusalem Post reports,

The US has deployed several F-22 Raptor fighter jets to an allied base less than 320 kilometers (200 miles) from Iran, FOX news reported Friday. …

The US Air Force has strongly denied that this deployment represents a show of force against Iran or is in anyway related to a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the report stated. Instead, the move is part of a route deployment and “security cooperation with regional partners.”

US officials told FOX that the jets were moved to hangars at the United Arab Emirates’ Al Dafra Air Base. The US Air Force declined to comment on the number of jets sent or their location.

In a written statement, Lt.Col. John Dorrian of the US Air Force public affairs stated that “the United States Air Force has deployed F-22s to Southwest Asia. Such deployments strengthen military-to-military relationships, promote sovereign and regional security, improve combined tactical air operations, and enhance interoperability of forces, equipment and procedures.”

Defense Industry Daily lists some of the Raptor’s capabilities:

The F-22’s combination of stealth, vectored thrust, range, advanced surveillance electronics with potential electronic warfare applications, and sustained supersonic flight (aka “supercruise”) arguably place it in a class by itself among the world’s combat aircraft.

Several F-22s can gather as much information as AWACS and JSTARS put together.  Call it whatever you want…F-22s are going to the Middle East.  The PR statement says that this is a normal practice.  It’s not.

And the Iranians have noticed.

 

Thanks for sharing!