The F-22’s First War in Syria: Forging a Sword Against China through a Baptism of Fire

On Sept. 22, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. and its partner nations had commenced airstrikes against Islamic State targets within Syria. Of particular note was the revelation that the F-22 Raptor had participated in the airstrikes, marking the first test of live combat for the war plane since officially entering into service in 2005.

In the nine intervening years between then and now, the U.S. has engaged in extended military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, so why is it that the F-22 fighter has only now made its appearance on the battlefields of Syria? According to foreign media, the F-22 has been plagued by a rash of glitches since being put in service, including incidents with pilots complaining of oxygen deprivation during flight in 2012, severely disrupting the F-22’s combat ability and forcing the military to put in place flight restrictions. However, after a prolonged period of making adjustments, the wrinkles were gradually ironed out and the F-22 returned to a normal state of combat readiness, recently appearing more frequently around the countries bordering China that serve to check their larger neighbor.

As early as 2013, the U.S. media speculated that its military was likely to utilize the F-22 in airstrikes against Syria. Unlike Afghanistan, which lacked a battlefield environment with conventional air defenses, the Syrian military has a relatively complete air force and anti-air units. Mobilizing stealth fighters in such cases provides added insurance, and the media projections have been proven valid by the recent airstrikes. Additionally, the F-22 stealth fighter, B-1 bomber and other advanced warplanes being deployed to engage in airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria may simply be a case of first testing the waters in the shallow end of the pool, with the ultimate objective being to assess the strength of Syria’s military and explore options for air strikes against Syrian government forces.

The U.S. Air Force has revealed that during air-to-surface operations the F-22 can carry 1,000-pound joint direct attack munitions (JDAM), two AIM-120C advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM), or two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, being more suited to attacking conventional military targets rather than widely dispersed terrorist militias such as the Islamic State group.

In sum, the U.S. military utilizing the F-22 in strikes against the Islamic State group within Syria is undoubtedly the product of careful deliberation. Using B-2 strategic bombers against the level of opponent found among the Syrian government forces and the Islamic State group would be cost-ineffective. At the same time, the Syrian military possesses a degree of anti-air capabilities, but not to the extent that it can pose a serious threat to the F-22, and as such, risk in the F-22’s first combat mission can be minimized while still testing its true warfighting ability.

The F-22’s maiden combat mission is a matter of great consequence, as it marks the first time that a fifth-generation fighter has joined real battle. Proving the F-22 through the fiery baptism of real combat will be of immense value to the U.S. military as it seeks to rapidly accumulate practical experience with fifth-generation fighters. And with the capabilities of the F-35 gradually coming together, future regional deterrence operations or conflicts will see the U.S. military utilize stealth warplanes with increased adroitness to suppress potential adversaries. For China, the U.S. F-22s circling outside its door may no longer be merely the shadow of a threat, but an unsheathed sword prepared to strike. In light of this, accelerating the development of China’s J-20 and J-31 fighters has become a matter of the utmost urgency.