Watch U.S. F-22 stealth jets refuel on their way to strike an ISIS target in Iraq

February 16, 2015 Military Aviation, Troubled Areas, War on ISIS

David Cenciotti

Cool footage of Raptors refueling during an air strike in Iraq.

The following footage was shot on Jan. 30, 2015.

It shows F-22s belonging to 95th FS from Tyndall Air Force Base refuel over the Persian Gulf from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 while participating in a coalition air strike on a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device factory.

Along with SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defense) platforms the Raptor stealth fighters are now embedded in standard coalition strike packages as “electronic warfare enabled sensor-rich multi-role aircraft”: they can enter a target area, gather details about the enemy systems with their extremely advanced onboard sensors (including an Active Electronically Scanned Array – AESA radar), share the picture and enemy information with other tactical assets, command and control planes and AWACS, escort other unstealthy planes or drones towards the targets taking care of any air threat and even attack their own targets with PGMs.

Top 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.

Lagune says:

February 16, 2015 at 2:42 PM

nice video, what’s that stuff at 02:25 fuel?
- The Chief says:
  
  February 17, 2015 at 3:20 PM
  
  Looks like contrails no?
big john ok says:

February 16, 2015 at 2:53 PM

so they are basically acting as an armed mini stealth awacs.
Renato Dallarmi says:

February 16, 2015 at 6:09 PM

I could see a purpose for using the F35 (if it was ready) but why using an F22 as a … bomber?
rats123 says:

February 17, 2015 at 8:15 AM

This has got to be the biggest waste of money in history. Why are they sending a $250 million fighter to bomb a $10 tent?
- Nigellus says:
  
  February 19, 2015 at 9:31 PM
  
  Good point. They are actually bombing Syrian infrastructure under the guise of bombing ISIS. The US created, trained and funds ISIS to this day as a cover for weakening Syria which they want for their own purposes (most likely under Sharia law, the more chaos the better it is to control).
chingiss says:

February 19, 2015 at 9:47 PM

By ‘this administration’ you mean the Black guy in the WH right? Have you forgotten the disaster we inherited from W and Cheney? By wasteful spending you must mean schools and roads, Eh? The only reason we can even speak of an Air Force is because of the Black guy. Gross cost overruns of this aircraft AND the F35 have taken from other services.