F-22s from the 7th Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, N.M., arrived in late May at Kadena AB, Japan, for a four-month deployment. This tour, which is part of a normal rotation of US combat forces in the Pacific region, marks the first overseas deployment for Holloman’s new Raptor force. F-22s were also scheduled to deploy last week from Langley AFB, Va., to Andersen AFB, Guam, as part of this rotation. (Kadena photo caption by SrA. Amanda Grabiec)
With upgrades, F-16s can serve as a numbers-builder in the combat air forces until the 2040s, and it’s not necessary to launch its successor yet, program officials said at an industry conference. “We anticipate hundreds of F-16s in active service for decades to come,” meaning into the 2040s, Col. Tim…