Air Force F-22s and B-2 bombers are prowling the Pacific to send a message - and the photos are stunning
Three B-2 bombers and 200 airmen from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri deployed to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Jan. 10 to support US Strategic Command's Bomber Task Force mission.
While B-2 bombers regularly rotate throughout the Pacific, having previously been deployed to Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, the most recent deployment marks only the second time these powerful stealth aircraft have been sent to Hawaii to drill alongside the F-22s.
The stealth bombers were deployed to the Pacific to send a message to allies and adversaries alike, specifically that "the B-2 is on watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week ready to protect our country and its allies."
Source: Pacific Air Forces
When the B-2s were first deployed to Hawaii last October, the US military stressed that the deployment highlighted the bomber's completely unmatched "strategic flexibility to project power from anywhere in the world."
Source: Air Force
The multi-role B-2 Spirit bomber has the ability to break through tough defenses, bringing a significant amount of firepower, both conventional and nuclear, to bear on enemy targets.
Source: Air Force
Despite its large size, the B-2's low-observable or stealth characteristics make it almost invisible to enemy radars, allowing it to slip past enemy defenses and put valuable targets at risk.
Source: Pacific Air Forces
The F-22 Raptor, an elite air-superiority fighter, which the Air Force asserts "cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft," is an extremely lethal aircraft capable of performing air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions.
Source: Air Force
Both the B-2 Spirit and the F-22 raptor are stealth aircraft, and both have the ability to penetrate sophisticated air-defense systems, such as those that defend the Chinese mainland and the wall of surface-to-air missiles deployed in the South China Sea. China has been actively enhancing its anti-access, area-denial capabilities to keep the US military at arms length.
Together, a B-2 accompanied by a pair of F-22s could kick in an enemy's door, let loose a firestorm of devastation, and get out before the enemy figures out what happened.
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