RICHMOND, Va. –
The 192nd Fighter Wing of the Virginia Air National Guard will celebrate a major milestone June 20 as it flies into the future - on the wings of the nation's most advanced fighter jet - the F-22A Raptor.
As the first Air National Guard unit in the country to start flying the F-22A, the U.S. Air Force's newest stealth fighter aircraft, the wing is forging ahead to meet the nation's and the Commonwealth's evolving needs, resulting in the bold and exciting move to begin conducting associated operations with the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Va. With more than 20 192d Fighter Wing pilots now trained to fly the F-22 and a growing number of the Wing's fulltime and traditional status Guardsmen working at Langley, the wing will be changing the face of the Virginia Air National Guard.
The 192nd will celebrate its future in the F-22 and honor its proud heritage by conducting a special aerial event to mark the wing's last training mission June 20 with four F-16 Fighting Falcons. Distinguished guests, and Commonwealth and National Guard leadership will join the 192d Fighter Wing to mark this historical event. Representatives from Lockheed-Martin Aeronautics will be on hand.
The 192nd has flown the F-16 since 1991. "After 16 years of flying the F-16, which included training missions, combat in Iraq, and combat air patrols over Washington, D.C, we have three new, exciting opportunities at Langley. The 192nd will associate with the active duty's 1st Fighter Wing F-22A Raptor mission, the 480 Intel Wing's Distributed Ground Station Imagery Analysis mission and the Combat Air Force Logistic Support Center," said Col. Jay Pearsall, 192nd Fighter Wing commander.