The organizers of the Slovak International Air Fest (SIAF) 2022 announced that the United States Air Force will be sending the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor Air Superiority Stealth Fighters to this year’s show.

Earlier in the month 12 U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors assigned to the 90th Fighter Squadron, 3rd Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska forward deployed to the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, Poland to support the NATO Air Shielding mission in European Theater. On Saturday 27th of August, two of those jets will firstly perform a dynamic display and later join the static display at the SIAF 2022, a Slovakian debut.

Statement by the organizers;

This year we will experience the Slovak premiere of this aircraft. In the vortex you will see up to 2 pieces, which first show a dynamic demonstration and then roll to static, where you can admire them.

ONLY ON SATURDAY 27TH. AUGUST at SIAF 2022!

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed as an air superiority fighter, but also has ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence capabilities.

The prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, built most of the F-22's airframe and weapons systems and conducted final assembly, while Boeing provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.

The aircraft first flew in 1997 and was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 before it formally entered service in December 2005 as the F-22A. Despite its protracted development and operational difficulties, USAF considers the F-22 a critical component of its tactical airpower.

The fighter's combination of stealth, aerodynamic performance, and mission systems enable unprecedented air combat capabilities. The USAF had originally planned to buy a total of 750 ATFs. In 2009, the program was cut to 187 operational aircraft due to high costs, a lack of air-to-air missions due to the focus on counterinsurgency operations at the time of production, a ban on exports, and the development of the more affordable and versatile F-35, with the last F-22 delivered in 2012.