Loitering drone strikes by Houthi and PMU rebels in the United Arab Emirates have led to a new role for US Air Force Raptors and other American assets in the volatile region. In the afternoon of Friday, February 18, 2022, a trio of US Air Force F-22A Raptor Air Superiority fighter jets landed at Al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Serialed 04-4076, 05-4091 and 09-4189, they were part of 27th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Wing, and they joined nine other F-22As of the squadron already at Al-Dhafra. The nine had been previously transferred to the base on February 10 and 12 to protect the UAE from the threat posed by loitering drones of the rebels of the Houthi and PMU (Popular Mobilization Units, or Hashd al-Shaabi) groups. Earlier, on January 27, at the request of the UAE government, US National Guard F-16C fighter jets had started armed air patrols over the country followed by USMC F/A-18C/D fighters on February 10. These patrols had begun after the drone strikes by Houthi militias on January 17 and 24, and were intensified following the drone strike on January 30. With the arrival of F-22A fighters in the UAE and the start of their armed air patrols from Monday, February 14, 2022, the mission of the US National Guard and Marine Corps fighters in the region has become more focused on air patrols over Saudi Arabia. These missions are intended to protect the country from drone strikes similar to those in the UAE.
展开▼
