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By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The U.S. Air Force plans to deploy a half dozen or more of its F-22 stealth aircraft to the U.S. territory of Guam this summer for joint drills with its allies in the Pacific region, including Japan, according to reports.
The deployment is apparently intended to cover the Korean Peninsula and China given the extensive operational range of F-22s, defense experts say.
``The whole point of this is to get the squadron used to being able to pack up and deploy as part of their overall mission,'' Gen. Carrol ``Howie'' Chandler, commander of the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific, was quoted by U.S. media as saying earlier this week at his Hawaii headquarters.
The F-22 Raptors will fly from Alaska, where they have been based since last year, Chandler said, adding that the Air Force is still working out deployment details.
The aircraft, built by Lockheed Martin, is the world's most advanced fighter jet. It is equipped with an active electronically scanned radar for cruise missile detection and is capable of evading advanced air defenses to bomb ballistic missile launches.
The single-seat fighter can fly at a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 and has an operational radius of 2,000 kilometers. It can carry sophisticated weapons including AIM-9 Sidewinders and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) in its internal bay.
U.S. law forbids the export of the fighter, which cost $200 million per unit, because of technology protection issues.
The fifth-generation fighter has been overseas just once since it became operational in 2005. Early last year, 12 Virginia-based Raptors flew to Okinawa, Japan for three months drills.
The jet proved its superiority during training exercises in Alaska in 2006 when F-22 planes scored ``kills'' against 144 fighter jets, including older model F-15s and F-16s, while the opponents were unable to "kill" even one F-22.
The U.S. Air Force has announced plans to base an F-22 squadron in Hawaii, where it will replace F-15s, and in New Mexico, where it will replace F-117s.
The Hawaii Air National Guard's 199th Fighter Squadron, 154th Wing will be the first and only guard unit in the nation to fly its own F-22s when the jets start arriving in late 2010.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
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