According to military experts, the American fighters join a total of about 120 other military aircraft operating within the “Air Shield” mission, under the command of NATO to secure the European airspace and the neighboring Ukrainian countries..
The newspaper “Stars and Stripes” of the US Department of Defense “Pentagon”, “The six planes will be transferred to the US tactical base No. 32 near the Polish city of Lask, where they will join (the mission to deter Russia) in the eastern wing of NATO.”
The US forces in Europe said, “The six aircraft within the 90th Fighter Squadron will provide a semi-smooth shield from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, ensuring the ability of NATO allies to better protect the alliance’s territory, population and forces, from air and missile threats.”“.
The American newspaper quoted German General Christoph Pellet, Deputy Chief of Operations at NATO Air Command Headquarters, as saying that “the goal of NATO’s mission is to deter and prevent any possible Russian aggression.”“.
During the Ukraine war, Moscow targeted Ukrainian assets on the Polish border, including firing more than 30 missiles at the center for international peace and security in Yavoriv, just 25 kilometers from Poland. Russia also attacked an airport in Lutsk, near Poland, according to the “Arab Defense” military website.
Fearing a possible Russian attack, Poland this week spent billions of dollars to buy 48 light attack fighters FA-50 and 980 battle tanks K2, and 648 Howitzers K9.
Commenting on the deal, Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Boacak says: “We learned lessons from what is happening in Ukraine. We learned lessons about how to attack and how Russia attacked“.
The United States also sent two batteries of Patriot surface-to-air missiles to Poland last March to enforce a no-fly zone, in addition to the French Rafale planes that are also on Polish territory..
In July, F-35s of the Vermont Aviation National Guard were deployed to Amari Air Force Base in Estonia, in support of the Air Shield mission..
Prior to that, the US Air Force had transferred planes F-15 And the F-16 and other 35 . aircraft Fand many aircraft to Eastern Europe, participating in the operations of the air police of the Baltic region and strengthening its missions.
Washington has deployed nearly 3,000 US troops to Eastern Europe after the outbreak of the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
Super capabilities
The F-22 Raptor is an American stealth fighter belonging to the fifth generation of warplanes, using the latest avionics and engines that can secure its air superiority over any other fighter..
The F-22, which entered service for the first time in 2005, is an essential component of the “comprehensive bombing forces” of the US Air Force, which were established to ensure US air supremacy and dominance, and to confront threats that impede the access of the rest of the components of the US military to their goals..
According to military reports, the “Raptor” contains advanced sensors that allow the pilot to identify and track air targets, and these devices have been integrated into a cockpit of a distinct design that allows the pilot to be fully informed of what is going on around him..
The fighter is also armed with six missiles “AIM-120 AMRAAMS”and two missiles “AIM-9 Sidewinders”The first air-to-air missile weighs about 152 kilograms, and can hit targets at a distance of 48 kilometers..
As for its second missile, it is a short-range air-to-air class, equipped with a thermal tracker, and is used to strike targets at close range from the fighter..
The F-22 can also carry unguided bombs called Joint Direct Attack Munitions GB-32″The aircraft engine is also one of the most powerful engines in terms of thrust, as the fighter can reach the speed of sound without using the afterburner unit..”
On the impact of the American “F-22” aircraft on the pace of operations in Ukraine, a researcher in aviation sciences, Mina Adel, says that “the American fighters will be part of the 90th Squadron, and operate under what is known as the“ACE” They are light, flexible, fast and easy to transport and position in any theater of operations, to immediately integrate into combat.“.
He added to “Sky News Arabia”: “With their arrival in Polish airspace, the presence of the fifth generation fighters will be completed by merging them with American fighters.” f-35 belonging to the 34th Squadron, where there are European air weapons with a total of 120 fighters operating within (air shield), under the command of NATO, to defend against air and ground targets outside and not inside Ukrainian territory, to secure the airspace of the European countries neighboring Ukraine and overlooking the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea“.
And he added, “The mission of these aircraft is advanced tactical reconnaissance, but they will not engage in any way in the Ukrainian war except in one case, which is the confrontation outside Ukrainian airspace, or the provision of electronic support to the Ukrainian forces.”“.
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