RAPTOR ELEPHANT WALK: F-22 Raptors from the 3rd Wing and 477th Fighter Group participate in a close formation taxi, known as an Elephant walk, with an E-3 Sentry and a C-17 Globemaster III March 26, 2019, during a Polar Force exercise at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Fabulous photo of very valuable combat aircraft. Here’s another photo of four Raptors (March 2017) deployed for an exercise in Australia. The F-22 is the world’s premier air superiority fighter. Only 187 F-22s were manufactured. At the moment maybe 150 F-22s are operational — anyone with better figures is encouraged to provide them. You’ll see 24 in the photo– roughly 15 to 16 percent of America’s operational F-22 fleet? Per this Air Force Magazine article, several F-22s that were based at Tyndall AFB, Florida were damaged by Hurricane Michael. This article discusses the constant demand for the aircraft in combat zones (beginning in 2014) and the wear and tear on the plane. It also mentions the parts shortage. As the article says, the USAF wants an availability rate of 80 percent for the F-22 and at the moment that’s a stretch.

RELATED: Beautiful photo of Raptors over the Rocky Mountains. Also a look back at one of the F-22’s more troublesome developmental issues: The Raptor Curse (aka The Cough).