On Thursday, August 16th 2018, the TLP and Ala 14, located on Albacete Air Base, hosted the first-ever visit of two F-22 Raptor aircraft belonging to the 325th Fighter Wing, United States Air Force (USAF). The purpose of their visit was to exhibit the 5th generation aircraft’ unique capabilities, as well as to demonstrate their ability to operate with other allied fighter jets.
To that end, both American jets travelled directly from Germany, accompanied by a KC-135, aerial refueling aircraft. Upon their arrival, the F-22 jets performed two air combat training missions against Spanish Air Force aircraft. In the first mission an F-22 fought versus an F-18 from Ala 12 (Torrejón), and in the second one, the other F-22 flew against two EF-2000 from Ala 14 (Albacete).
Once all participant aircraft had landed in Albacete Air Base, pilots were welcomed by the US Air Attaché, Colonel Glenn LeMasters, Albacete Air Base Chief, Colonel Juan Manuel Pablos, and TLP Commandant, Colonel Andrés E. Maldonado, in front of Ala 14 Air Forces Group, where a press conference with local media took place.
In his speech, Colonel Maldonado emphasized the importance of this first contact with 5th generation combat aircraft, of which F-22 is an excellent representative. The integration of these fighter jets to work together with aircraft from previous generations is one of TLP’s main near-term objectives.
Following the press conference, an F-22 capabilities briefing was held in the TLP Headquarters, where Ala 14 pilots and TLP instructors were present.
After a quick snack, the F-22 aircraft departed for their homebase in Germany, putting an end to a very productive day for all participants, and marking another step forward in TLP’s efforts to integrate 5th generation fighters into their combat pilot’s leadership training program.