Photo: F-22 Raptor refuels off the east coast

This cool close up picture shows how an F-22 Raptor appears from the boom operator’s windown on a KC-135 Stratotanker of the 756th Air Refueling Squadron, Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Maryland.

The Raptor belongs to the 1st Fighter Wing  from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.

The U.S. Air Force F-22 recently flew against the German Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon at the Red Flag – Alaska. The GAF pilots and Eurofighter officials reports of the outcome of WVR (Within Visual Range) confrontation of the two combat planes are controversial.

Image credit: U.S. Air Force

About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.