[Updated] U.S. Air Force Mobilizes F-22s and F-35s as Situation in Middle East Escalates
Published on: June 17, 2025 at 11:21 AM
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Stefano D'Urso
David Cenciotti
File photo of two F-22s flying along a KC-135 tanker (Image credit: USAF)
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According to reports, F-22s and F-35s are already en route to the Middle East as part of what the Secretary of Defense called an ‘enhancement of the defensive posture in the region.’
Following the
sudden and massive deployment of U.S. Air Force aerial refueling aircraft on Jun. 16, 2025, reports are quickly spreading about the ongoing deployment of U.S. fighter jets, and specifically F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning IIs. These reports come as U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth “directed the deployment of additional capabilities to the United States Central Command Area of Operations.”
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According to reports, F-22s and F-35s are already en route to the Middle East as part of what the Secretary of Defense called an ‘enhancement of the defensive posture in the region.’Tankers’ relocationU.S. preparing to intervene?
pic.twitter.com/TMb47DQMVZ
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef)
June 16, 2025
“Protecting U.S. forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region,” said Hegseth, adding that the deployment orders were issued over the weekend. At about the same time the statement was released, the first tankers with “GOLD” callsigns, usually associated with Coronet flights, appeared on flight tracking websites.
Five additional tankers lifting and heading for the east routes.
https://t.co/cC1San2ZPS pic.twitter.com/njQUokIKn3
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555)
June 17, 2025
Usually,
Coronet East or West missions are ferry flights across the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean, respectively, of aircraft which are either deploying to a forward operating base or returning home at the end of a tour of duty, or on delivery to a customer (a non-US air force). These missions are supported by one or more tankers , either flying along with the receivers or launched from overseas bases, that provide the fuel the fighters need to reach their final destination.
Large formations are always split into more sections, each with a supporting tanker. Given the workload of the fighters’ pilots, which are required to refuel at fixed time intervals so they always have enough fuel to reach the closes runways while over the ocean, intermediate stops are also required. For a Coronet mission to CENTCOM, intermediate stops are usually at Lajes Air Base, in the Azores, or either at NAS Rota or
Morón Air Base, in Spain.
A post which quickly reached one million visualizations by X user @CoronetEast, which is
now no longer public, mentioned “Twelve F-22s and F-35s deploying to the Gulf in the next 48 hours.”
This appears to match similar reports that are going around about F-22 Raptors preparing to depart from
Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, to deploy to the CENTCOM AOR. Langley is home of the 1st Fighter Wing and 192nd Fighter Wing, which oversee the operations of three F-22 squadrons.
File photo of an F-22 Raptor (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Adisen Smith)
Regarding the F-35s, reports mention different sources, either the Vermont Air National Guard or the 48th FW at RAF Lakenheath, in the UK. As the only U.S. F-35s permanently forward deployed to Europe, the choice of Lakenheath’s F-35 would make sense as they would quickly arrive in the AOR and be available for tasking.
As a matter of fact, just as we were about to publish this article, @CoronetEast wrote on X that F-35s departed from RAF Lakenheath, supported by KC-135s from RAF Mildenhall and Morón Air Base.
Additional rumors mention that
F-16s from Aviano Air Base, Italy, might be also called in to deploy to the CENTCOM AOR. This, however, might be a deployment which was planned in advance, as earlier this month reports mentioned that Aviano’s 31st FW received a deployment notice.
An F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 495th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, takes off for a training sortie. (Image credit: F-35 Joint Program Office)
In the morning on Jun. 17, spotters and airband listeners across Europe reported the transit of the F-16s from Aviano as well as the F-35s from RAF Lakenheath.
12 tankers moving east over Europe now.
pic.twitter.com/OeT98OK13i
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555)
June 17, 2025
Our friend and reader Glenn Lockett sent us these shots he took in the UK as the F-35s deployed supported by KC-135 tankers.
KC-135 dragging four F-35s. (Image credit: Glenn Lockett)
The photos Lockett sent us prove the dozen F-35s are split into three flights of 4 jets.
Another shot of the tanker with the F-35s in trail (Image credit: Glenn Lockett)
Tankers’ relocation
As already mentioned, in the night between June 15 and 16, 2025, about 30 U.S. Air Force KC-135 and
KC-46 aerial refueling aircraft departed their bases in the United States headed to Europe. Most of these aircraft landed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and at
Morón Air Base and NAS Rota in Spain, while two landed at Aviano Air Base in Italy, one landed at Prestwick International Airport in the UK and three at Souda Bay in Greece.
A couple of you have asked if there has been any movement on the planes since they arrived at European bases overnight.
So far, NONE of the tankers in that large group from yesterday have moved.
https://t.co/2Dvy31FtWc pic.twitter.com/xcHbsTarVE
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555)
June 17, 2025
The reason of this mass deployment was initially unclear, although it was noted these were repositioning flights and the tankers were not “dragging” fighter jets. Later in the day, U.S. officials told
Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity, that the large number of refueling aircraft deployed to Europe is meant “to provide options to President Donald Trump as Middle East tensions erupt into conflict between Iran and Israel.”
Tankers are a critical asset for air power projection and are often deployed in advance or together with fighter jets, bombers or support aircraft. The fact that this massive movement of tanker is happening as Israel conducts is campaign against Iran raised some legitimate questions which might soon be answered with the arrival of fighter jets.
U.S. preparing to intervene?
As we previously reported in
our coverage of the events in Israel and Iran, the only U.S. involvement which was acknowledged was the help in the defense during the drone and ballistic missile attacks launched by Iran against Israel. Israeli officials claimed that the U.S. might join the operation against Iran, although the White House denied these claims.
We previously mentioned that it might be possible the U.S. could decide to move to the area more assets, such as fighter jets, as deterrent against attacks on its bases in the Middle East. In fact, U.S. President Donald Trump
warned Iran against attacks against U.S. forces.
“If we are attacked in any way, shape, or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before,” said the President.
The latest statement by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also seems to confirm the defensive/deterrent nature of the fighters’ deployment.
However, some
comments previously made by Trump hint at a possible future involvement, although it is unclear under which conditions. “We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” said Trump.
Additionally, in a cryptic post on social media, the President wrote “Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign,” adding that “Iran can not have a nuclear weapon,” before a final message to Iranian citizens stating “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
pic.twitter.com/jhG1IyhLmy
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47)
June 16, 2025
The statement was quickly shared by government accounts and officials, with the White House’s @RapidResponse47 account reposting all the instances where Trump stated that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. Additionally, the same profile shared an interview of Hegseth to
Fox News where he said “What you’re watching in real-time is Peace Through Strength and America First … We are postured defensively in the region to be strong in pursuit of a peace deal, and we certainly hope that’s what happens here.”
The President also left the G7 meeting in Canada early telling reporters: “I have to be back early for obvious reasons.” In another post on social media, he then added that this “has nothing to do with a cease fire” and it is “much bigger than that.”
www.verkkouutiset.fi
: Glenn Lockett, via the Aviationist
KC-135 dragging four F-35s. (Image credit: Glenn Lockett)
Another shot of the tanker with the F-35s in trail (Image credit: Glenn Lockett)
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