OKINAWA RAPTORS
The image above depicts six F-22As from the 27th FS, 1st FW at Langley AFB, Virginia. The Raptors were deployed to Kadena AB, Okinawa for a 120-day theater security deployment over the first quarter of 2010. The Raptors imaged above are seen prior to departure from Kadena, as evidenced by the presence of external fuel tanks carried for long-range travel. The external fuel tanks are often used to support deployments. They have also been noted underwing of Alaska-based F-22s performing intercept missions against Russian strategic bombers, likely providing an additional fuel reserve for overwater sorties.
ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION
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SOURCES
-Satellite imagery provided courtesy of Google Earth
ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION
Feel free to discuss the current Image of the Week at the IMINT & Analysis Forum Image of the Week discussion thread found here.
SOURCES
-Satellite imagery provided courtesy of Google Earth
3 comments:
What is the white thing that looks like a giant silhouette of the Bat Plane on top of the building to the upper right of the Raptors?
I dig the Batman emblem!
I dug around a bit and found out that the 44th fighter squadron is based there and it's name is "The Bats"; also the Navy has a P-3 Orion squadron there ("The World Watchers") that incorporates a bat into its shoulder patch design:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Y1-JUE_bcI/TLm89NUKymI/AAAAAAAABhc/HL3IBgvQ_qE/s1600/Vq1kadena.jpg
The things on the bat's chest look like satellite orbits, so maybe they have some sort of reconsat downlink base there also, and the building is the Bat Cave where they look over the goodies the planes and satellites dig up.
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