High Tension! Dozens of U.S. Air Force F-22 and F-35 are Already en Route to the Middle East

According to reports, F-22 and F-35 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 the 16th of June 2025, reports are quickly spreading about the ongoing deployment of U.S. fighter jets and specifically F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning II. 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. Protecting U.S. forces is our top priority, and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region, adding that the deployment orders were issued over the weekend. At about the same time the statement was released, the first tankers with gold call signs, usually associated with Coronet flights, appeared on flight tracking websites. U.S. fighter jets have been seen in the skies above Europe flanking airborne refueling tankers heading to the Middle East as the Israel-Iran conflict continues to escalate. Around a dozen Air Force F-35 have been seen in UK airspace flying beside the tankers following their swift relocation from the United States toward Europe over the weekend. It comes after the U.S. Navy deployed aircraft to the Middle East. 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 closest runways while over the ocean, intermediate stops are also required. For a Coronet mission to CENTCOM, intermediate stops are usually at Lages Air Base, in the Azores, or either at Nasrota or Moran Air Base in Spain. A post which quickly reached one million visualizations by ex-user at Coronet East, which is now no longer public, mentioned 12 F-22 and F-35 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. Langley is home of the 1st Fighter Wing and 192nd Fighter Wing, which oversee the operations of three F-22 squadrons. Aviation enthusiasts claim that both F-35 Lightning IIs and F-22 Raptors are part of this operation, monitoring their movements through live radar tracking services. Several refueling tankers are reported to have now reached European military bases, including Ramstein Air Base in Germany, plus Morohan Air Base and Nasrota in Spain, with additional landings at Aviano Air Base in Italy, Prastwick International Airport in the UK, and Greece's Souda Bay. Regarding the F-35, reports mention different sources, either the Vermont Air National Guard or the 48th FW at RAF Lakenheath in the UK. As the only US F-35 permanently forward deployed to Europe, the choice of Lakenheath's F-35 would make sense as they would quickly arrive in the CENTCOM AOR and be available for tasking. As a matter of fact, just as we were about to publish this article, at Coronet East wrote on X that F-35 departed from RAF Lakenheath, supported by KC-135 from RAF Mildenhall and Morohan Air Base. Additional rumors mention that F-16 from Aviano Air Base, Italy, might be also called in to deploy to the CENTCOM. This, however, might be a deployment which was planned in advance, as earlier this month reports mentioned that Aviano 31st FW received a deployment notice. In the morning on the 17th of June, spotters and airband listeners across Europe reported the transit of the F-16 from Aviano, as well as the F-35 from RAF Lakenheath. Our friend and reader Glenn Lockett sent us these shots he took in the UK, as the F-35 deployed supported by KC-135 tankers. The photos Lockett sent us prove the dozen F-35 are split into three flights of four jets. Tankers Relocation As already mentioned, in the night between the 15th of June and 16th 2025, about 30 US 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 Morohan Air Base and Nasrota in Spain, while two landed at Aviano Air Base in Italy. One landed at Prestwick International Airport in the UK and three at Sudebay in Greece. 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, US officials told Reuter, 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. The latest statement by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also seems to confirm the defensive or deterrent nature of the fighter's 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 cannot have a nuclear weapon, before a final message to Iranian citizens stating, everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran.