Two advanced US F-22 fighter jets arrived in Poland yesterday for a one-day working visit, the Polish army said, a part of Washington’s efforts to reassure allies made uneasy by Russian actions in Ukraine.
The United States has stepped up partner training deployments to Nato allies in Eastern Europe since Russia last year seized and annexed the Crimean region of Ukraine, raising concerns that Moscow next might target a member of the Western alliance.
The visit by the US fighter jets is a part of the F-22’s first-ever deployment to Europe, where four of the stealth fighters will train with allied air forces and US services through mid-September. The four aircraft arrived at Spangdahlem Air base in Germany on Friday.
“The US is conducting reconnaissance of abilities of operating this type of aircraft at an allied airport,” Polish army spokesman Artur Golawski told Reuters.
The planes landed at a military air base in Lask, in central Poland.
Earlier this month, US Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh James said the F-22’s deployment in Europe would allow US forces to train with Nato partners across Europe, testing the ability of the jets to communicate and fight together with the Eurofighter and other advanced warplanes.
The United States has stepped up partner training deployments to Nato allies in Eastern Europe since Russia seized and annexed Crimea
James said the deployment would also give F-22 pilots more experience with the European terrain. The Air Force has previously deployed the jets in Japan and South Korea but not in Europe.
The stealth tactical fighter aircraft was designed by Lockheed and Boeing Co as a fighter, but it can also be used for ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence. The jets formally entered service in December 2005, with the last F-22 delivered to the Air Force in 2012.
Meanwhile the US military has also deployed two MQ-1 Predator reconnaissance drones and 70 airmen to Latvia on a training mission as part of U. efforts to reassure European allies the United States is committed to their security, the Pentagon said yesterday. The deployment of the MQ-1 Predators to Lielvarde Air Base in Latvia over the weekend was the first time the US military has sent a detachment of drones to Latvia to participate in partner training, said Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
“This temporary deployment of aircraft and personnel... will test the unit’s ability to forward deploy RPAs (remotely piloted aircraft) and conduct air operations in an effort to help assure our Latvian allies, Nato allies and European partners of our commitment to regional security and stability,” the US European Command said in a statement.
Davis said the deployment of the airmen, members of the 147th Reconnaissance Wing of the Texas Air National Guard, was funded by the European Reassurance Initiative, which aims to beef up US military training with European partners.