F-22 Raptor aircraft deployed to United Arab Emirates

[Triton]

"Raptors in the Sandbox"
Posted by Amy Butler 12:48 PM on Apr 26, 2012

Source:
http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post:5a7a4dc2-52cf-4181-a1cb-32ab63d03fa2

As tensions between Iran and the U.S. and Israel continue to mount over the former’s pursuit of nuclear weapons technologies, the U.S. has quietly begun a deployment of its premier stealthy fighter, the twin-engine F-22, to the nearby United Arab Emirates.

Multiple of the Lockheed Martin aircraft will operate out of Al Dhafra Air Base there, say industry sources. This is the same base from which U-2s and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles have been launched since shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“The United States Air Force has deployed F-22s to Southwest Asia,” according to a statement from service spokesman Capt. Phil Ventura. “Such deployments strengthen military-to-military relationships, promote sovereign and regional security, improve combined tactical air operations and enhance interoperability of forces, equipment and procedures.” Ventura declined to specify what the aircraft's mission is for this deployment.

Because of the F-22’s supercruise – or high, efficient rate of speed – stealth, thrust-vectoring and inherent intelligence-collection capabilities, it is considered the most sophisticated fighter in the world. Deploying it to any region causes occupants there to take note. says one industry official.

The timing of the deployment could be a signal from Washington to Iran to take seriously objections to the latter’s nuclear weapons ambitions.

 

[bobbymike]

And a message to Israel as well?

 

[sferrin]

And a message to Israel as well?

I can't imagine US fighters shooting down Israeli's to defend Iran. Obama has done some stupid stuff but this would take it to entirely new levels.

 

[Triton]

And a message to Israel as well?

I don't understand this question.

I can't imagine US fighters shooting down Israeli's to defend Iran. Obama has done some stupid stuff but this would take it to entirely new levels.

I can't imagine any United States President ever contemplating such an act. I don't believe that the Obama Administration would intercept an Israeli strike to give economic sanctions and diplomacy more time. The deployment may be a message to Israel to not act unilaterally and to Iran that the United States is prepared to strike if the nation closes the Persian Gulf or if economic sanctions and diplomacy fail to stop Iran's nuclear ambitions.

I presume that an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities would generate anger in the Arab world even from nations who would be glad that Iran's plans to acquire nuclear weapons were disrupted. It is possible that OPEC may disrupt oil supplies in retaliation of an Israeli strike that would also disrupt the economy of the United States and other nations.

 

[GTX]

I think he meant that this could possibly be sending one of two messages to Israel:
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Don't do anything re Iran, we are looking after it; or
[*]You are ok to strike or otherwise, we have your back covered.
[/list]
Or something along those lines.


It could also be just a standard deployment to give them so more non-USA exposure and why not do so in a zone like that. You could just have easily had them deployed to Japan or Sth Korea...in which case people might be concerned about what was going on with Nth Korea.

 

[bobbymike]

Well my sarcastic comment comes from the fact that about two years ago when Israel was contemplating action against Iran the US Military, obviously with the approval of the highest level of the chain of command, i.e. POTUS, that the US was not going to allow over flights of Iraq to Iran.

Many commentators asked "Does this mean they would shoot down Israeli aircraft if they did enter that airspace over fly?"

 

[UpForce]

There are countless US, friendly and "nondenominational" strategic assets in the area. A number of things there have the potential to go "pear shaped" even without intentional provocation or an entirely logical clash of direct interests; frankly I'm surprised there weren't F-22's in the area before. Hopefully their capabilities haven't been overstated.

The likelihood of the US using force against IDF, IAF (even if they went and did some truly catastrophic blunder) or Israel proper is zero, zilch, nada. That should be blatantly obvious by any and all official statement, strategy and action of every actor in any kind of power of every stripe in the US. Frankly I marvel at the fact that suggestions to the contrary have a sustaining ecosystem.

I guess in a knowledge based economy different levels of entropies can represent different value to subsets of actors, the interests of the whole being completely another matter.

 

[quellish]

I can't imagine US fighters shooting down Israeli's to defend Iran. Obama has done some stupid stuff but this would take it to entirely new levels.

1. Set radio to GUARD.
2. "Armed Israeli aircraft heading east, you have entered Iraqi airspace. Turn around immediately"
3. Repeat 2 several times.
4. Watch Iranian air defenses light up.

Problem solved!

 

[Triton]

Iran calls F-22 deployment in United Arab Emirates a US-Israeli ‘plot’
By Jeremy Herb - 04/30/12 12:03 PM ET

Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/224503-iran-calls-f-22-deployment-in-uae-a-us-israeli-plot

Iran has labeled the U.S. military’s decision last week to send F-22 Raptors to an air base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a “plot” by the United States and Israel to create regional instability.

Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said Monday the move would undermine the security of the region, according to the semi-official FARS News Agency.

“We consider such (military) presence in the region as to be useless and harmful and more aimed at creating a psychological ploy and an insecure atmosphere in the region," Vahidi said on Al Alam TV network.

Iranian lawmaker Kazem Jalali said that putting the F-22 stealth fighters at the Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE was a U.S.-Israeli plot, which he was quoted as saying in Iran’s ISNA news agency, according to The Associated Press.

While a U.S. presence at the UAE base is nothing new, moving the F-22s into the Persian Gulf, which was first reported by Aviation Week on Thursday, could further escalate tensions between Tehran and Washington that have risen in recent months over Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran is currently in negotiations with six world powers, including the United States, about its nuclear program; talks are set to resume in Baghdad in May. But President Obama has said that all options are on the table, including a military strike, to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Israel has also hinted it could decide to attack Iran’s nuclear program if it does not feel the United States will do so in time.

The United States, Israel and their allies suspect Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon, while Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Iran, of course, has been known for not following through on its tough rhetoric before. In December Tehran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf if the United States and European Union went through with economic sanctions.

 

[sublight]

I'd feel a lot more confident in that development if they'd get the @$@^%$& OBOGS fixed.....

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/01/some-pilots-wont-fly-f-22s-until-cause-of-oxygen-deprivation-in-cockpit-solved/?hpt=hp_t2