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| U.S. Air National Guard F-22 Fighters |
International Military - After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) increased its arsenal in Europe. Foreign media reports say that the F-22 Raptor, which is said to be the most powerful fighter in the world, will soon be deployed to Poland.
The Warzone, the US military media news site, revealed on 27 (local time), US Air Force Europe-Africa Command conducted six F-22 stealth fighter jets that took off from Joint Base Elmandorf-Richardson, Alaska, in the afternoon.
The previous day at Lakenheath Air Base, England, said to have arrived at these fighters will soon be transferred to Rask Air Base, Poland. Where they will be assigned to protect the airspace of NATO allies.
The F-22 is a fifth generation fighter aircraft with a maximum speed of Mach 2.5 or higher and strong stealth (radar detection and evasion) functions. As a fighter intercepting enemy aircraft, 200 units were not produced due to huge production costs, but since being deployed in 2005, it has become the strongest in aerial combat.
It can also carry two 1000 pound (453.6 kg) bombs, enabling it to carry out air-to-ground missions. In 2006, in a simulated aerial combat against a 4th generation fighter such as the F-15, he won an overwhelming 144-0 victory.
At the NATO summit in Madrid last month, President Joe Biden said, "We will strengthen US readiness to respond to the changing security environment in Europe and to strengthen the collective security of the NATO alliance." In particular, Poland is seen as 'the spearhead of NATO' because it shares borders with Belarus and Ukraine and borders Russia's off-shore region, Kaliningrad.
Poland, one of the most staunch supporters of Ukraine since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has recently sought to strengthen its own defense capabilities. The Polish Ministry of Defense officially announced on the 27th that it had signed a Framework Agreement to purchase three types of Korean-made weapons: 980 South Korean K2 tanks, 648 K9 self-propelled guns, and 48 FA-50 light attack aircraft.
The city of Yavoriu, a city in western Ukraine that Russia struck with missiles in May, is also just 16 kilometers from the Polish border. Yang Wook, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, told the JoongAng Ilbo in a phone call with the JoongAng Ilbo. "Russia also has the Sukhoi (Su)-57, a fifth-generation fighter, but verification of its capabilities has not been completed. "This is to show that we are defending NATO through the strongest military means," he said.
Previously known to strengthen its defenses after the war in Ukraine, Poland has confirmed it will buy 48 FA-50 light fighters from South Korea. This was confirmed by the country's Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak in an interview with a local magazine recently.