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U.S. F-22 Raptors Sighted in UK May Indicate Possible Reinforcement of Middle East Airpower Posture.
A second group of United States Air Force F-22A Raptors was observed transiting through RAF Mildenhall on February 20, 2026, based on open-source imagery and flight-tracking data, suggesting a continued deployment toward the Middle East. The movement signals a potential expansion of U.S. air dominance capabilities in a region facing renewed tensions involving Iran.
On February 20, 2026, open-source imagery and videos, alongside flight-tracking data and spotter reports, indicated that a second group of United States Air Force F-22A Raptor aircraft had been observed at United Kingdom air bases, including RAF Mildenhall. While their presence may be linked to a broader redeployment from the continental United States, no official confirmation has been provided by authorities in either the United States or the United Kingdom regarding the purpose of the deployment or any onward movement. Occurring against the backdrop of renewed regional tensions and growing concern over the risk of escalation involving Iran, the reported presence of fifth-generation air-superiority fighters optimised for operations in highly contested airspace has drawn particular attention. Designed to establish and maintain air dominance, escort high-value assets and, when tasked, conduct precision strikes while preserving a low-observable profile, the F-22 is considered a central component of modern air campaigns conducted against capable integrated air defence systems. Open-source visuals, including imagery and video taken outside RAF Mildenhall, suggest the aircraft were in a long-range ferry configuration with external wing tanks, typically linked to direct transatlantic deployments.
Open-source imagery and flight data suggest a second group of U.S. F-22 Raptors has transited RAF Mildenhall en route to the Middle East amid rising tensions involving Iran (Picture Source: U.S. Air Force)
According to the latest images and videos, the F-22s are shown with large underwing tanks mounted on their inboard pylons, a standard ferry fit used on long-range “Coronet” movements from bases such as Joint Base Langley-Eustis on the US East Coast. In this configuration, each Raptor can carry 600-gallon external tanks to extend unrefuelled range and reduce dependence on tanker support during the most demanding legs of the crossing. The tanks and their pylons are designed to be jettisoned rapidly as a complete assembly, allowing the aircraft to revert to a clean, low-observable profile with full manoeuvrability and supercruise performance before entering any potential high-threat environment. The use of this configuration strongly suggests that the aircraft seen at RAF Mildenhall have arrived directly from the United States rather than repositioning from another European base.
This movement appears to align with a broader, widely reported reinforcement of US airpower in and around the Middle East in recent weeks. Public statements and open-source reporting have pointed to additional tanker aircraft, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, and further fighter deployments to regional bases as part of an effort to deter escalation, reassure partners and protect shipping and deployed forces. However, the specific role of the F-22s within this wider posture has not been detailed publicly, and any linkage between their transit through the United Kingdom and particular contingency plans remains, at this stage, a matter of informed analysis rather than confirmed fact.
Within this wider force mix, the F-22 has a specific and highly specialised role. The Raptor was conceived as a dedicated air-dominance platform, combining very low observable shaping, radar-absorbent materials and a carefully managed infrared and electromagnetic signature with exceptional kinematic performance. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engines with two-dimensional thrust-vectoring nozzles, the aircraft can supercruise at supersonic speeds without afterburner, maintain high energy through complex manoeuvres, and rapidly change altitude and heading to gain positional advantage.
Its sensor suite is built around the AN/APG-77 active electronically scanned array radar, which can detect, track and engage multiple targets at long range while operating in low-probability-of-intercept modes. This radar is complemented by the AN/ALR-94 electronic support measures system and an array of passive sensors and secure data links that fuse information into a single, high-fidelity tactical picture. The result is a platform able to build wide-area situational awareness, silently track adversary aircraft and surface emitters, and share that information with other US and allied assets while remaining extremely difficult to detect and target.
From a doctrinal standpoint, these characteristics give the F-22 a distinct place among US aircraft already present in or flowing toward the region. F-16 and F-15E units provide high-capacity strike and suppression of enemy air defences, employing a wide range of precision-guided munitions and anti-radiation missiles. The F-35 adds stealthy strike and advanced electronic warfare capabilities, designed to locate, degrade and bypass sophisticated ground-based air defence networks. Long-range bombers and maritime platforms contribute stand-off strike options with cruise missiles and heavy ordnance. In this architecture, the F-22 is optimised first and foremost for offensive counter-air and defensive counter-air operations, ensuring that the airspace remains under US and allied control so that other platforms can operate with greater freedom and safety.
At this stage there is no official confirmation that the aircraft observed in the United Kingdom will continue onward to the Middle East or be assigned specific missions in relation to Iran. However, from a purely doctrinal and technical standpoint, several mission profiles naturally suggest themselves for the F-22 in any high-threat integrated air defence environment. One key role would be pre-strike offensive counter-air sweeps along likely ingress and egress routes, designed to deter or, if necessary, engage hostile fighters and long-range strike aircraft before they can threaten friendly formations. Another role would involve layered defensive counter-air coverage over critical infrastructure, maritime choke points and forward operating bases, including the protection of tanker tracks, airborne early warning aircraft and surface forces.
Additionally, thanks to its internal carriage of precision-guided munitions, the F-22 can be configured for limited but very precise air-to-ground missions. In this configuration, the Raptor can carry a mix of AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missiles alongside two 1,000-pound JDAMs or up to eight Small Diameter Bombs in its internal bays. This allows planners, if authorised, to assign the aircraft tightly controlled strikes against high-value nodes such as key radar sites or command-and-control facilities while preserving its low-observable profile. Such missions would be carefully coordinated with non-stealth suppression of enemy air defences platforms and other low-observable assets to ensure a coherent, legally compliant and proportionate use of force. These profiles should be understood as doctrinal possibilities rather than indications of current plans, which remain known only to national authorities and military commanders.
The F-22’s track record in demanding environments offers some insight into how it might be employed in any high-threat scenario. Since its first combat employment in 2014 over Syria, the Raptor has flown numerous missions in the framework of Operation Inherent Resolve, initially striking ISIS targets and then increasingly acting as a high-end “quarterback” for coalition air packages. Operating in proximity to advanced surface-to-air systems and within complex airspace shared with other state and non-state actors, F-22 crews used their sensor suite and data-fusion capability to build a comprehensive picture of the battlespace and quietly manage the flow of other, less stealthy aircraft. In official accounts, the aircraft is credited with helping to deter unsafe intercepts, reduce the risk of miscalculation and ensure that strike operations could be conducted with a high degree of control and situational awareness.
In 2019, a detachment of F-22s deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar for the first time, in response to heightened tensions and incidents involving shipping and infrastructure in and around the Gulf. US officials described that deployment as a measure to enhance the defence of US forces and interests in the region, reinforce deterrence and reassure partners, rather than as a signal of imminent offensive operations. That precedent underlines how the Raptor can be used not only as a warfighting asset but also as a visible component of a broader crisis-management and deterrence posture.
Beyond the technical and operational aspects, the reported transit of a second batch of F-22s through RAF Mildenhall has a broader signalling and political dimension. The decision to move one of the United States’ most advanced and sensitive air-combat platforms into a region where tensions are elevated sends a clear message about capability and resolve, while still leaving room for diplomatic efforts and de-escalation. In recent public statements on regional security, US officials have consistently underlined that adjustments to air and maritime posture are framed around the principles of deterrence, the protection of deployed forces and the defence of international shipping and critical infrastructure.
Movements of assets such as the F-22 are closely coordinated with host-nation authorities and, where relevant, conducted within alliance frameworks. Basing and overflight arrangements are governed by existing defence agreements and respect for national sovereignty. From a legal perspective, US and allied officials generally present such deployments as measures in support of self-defence and the prevention of further incidents, in line with international law and the provisions of the United Nations Charter. In any scenario where force might be used, US doctrine emphasises clear chains of political authorisation, proportionality and efforts to minimise collateral damage.
The presence of F-22s in the United Kingdom also reflects the depth of US-UK defence cooperation and the importance of British bases as transit and staging points for wider NATO and coalition operations. RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath have long served as critical hubs for US airpower moving between North America, Europe and the Middle East, offering infrastructure, logistics and command-and-control links that are fully integrated into allied planning. Should the F-22s continue onward toward the Middle East, they would be integrated into a wider multinational architecture that includes regional partners and alliance mechanisms designed to manage crises, prevent miscalculation and, where necessary, enable proportionate defensive action.
It is therefore important to maintain a clear distinction between what is confirmed and what remains analytical assessment. The available open-source evidence points to a second group of F-22s arriving in the United Kingdom from the United States, most likely in a staging posture linked in some way to the wider reinforcement of US forces around Iran and the Gulf region. The exact operational tasking of these aircraft, their eventual basing locations and the duration of their deployment have not been publicly disclosed. Until such information is officially released, any linkage between their movement and specific future operations must be treated with caution.
What can be stated with confidence is that the F-22 continues to occupy a central position in the United States’ ability to operate in the most demanding air-defence environments. By combining stealth, sensor fusion and high-energy manoeuvre performance, it provides US commanders with a tool that can both deter potential adversaries and, if required, help secure the airspace needed for any broader coalition effort. Its apparent presence at RAF Mildenhall, documented first through open-source imagery and tracking, illustrates once again the speed with which the United States can project advanced air-dominance capabilities to key theatres, in support of its own security interests and those of its allies and partners, while keeping open a wide range of diplomatic and military options for dealing with the evolving situation around Iran.