F-22 Fighter Jets to Patrol Middle East Skies – Russia Put on Notice

by Maya Carlin, Warrior Contributor, Weapons

American F-22 Raptors are headed to the Middle East in response to recent Russian provocations in the region. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced this week that the stealth jets will deploy from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia to join other American and allied airframes in the region. U.S. officials called the move a direct response to “increasingly unsafe and unprofessional behavior by Russian aircraft” in the region.

In a press release, CENTCOM Commander Gen. Erik Kurilla said that Moscow’s “regular violation of agreed-upon airspace deconfliction measures increases the risk of escalation or miscalculation.”

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Over the last few months, Russia has escalated its aerial activity over Syria. Some experts believe the increased activity is related to Iranian-Russian collaboration concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Tehran has become the leading unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturer for Moscow, providing the lethal drones Russian forces use to attack Kyiv and surrounding areas. 

In March, armed Russian fighter jets flew over an American military garrison in Syria nearly every day, according to U.S. officials. These provocations violated a four-year-old agreement between Washington and Moscow and obviously ramped up tensions between the two countries.

Earlier in March, two Russian Su-27 fighters aggressively circled an American MQ-9 Reaper drone. A video released by the U.S. Department of Defense shows a collision that resulted in the downing of the drone over the Black Sea. A few weeks later, a Russian Su-35 fighter carried out an “unsafe and unprofessional intercept” with an American F-16 Fighting Falcon in Syria’s airspace.