Langley F-22s return home from Operation Epic Fury.

Langley F-22s return home from Operation Epic Fury.

F-22 Raptors from Langley AFB’s 1st Fighter Wing, deployed to Israel since February, traveled home after an unusual stopover at RAF Fairford over the weekend.

A total of 12 1st FW Raptors are believed to be part of the homebound package. Ten jets arrived at RAF Fairford on 10 July 2026, with nine departing on 14 July. The remaining two aircraft that failed to reach Fairford are rumored to have stopped en route at Sigonella Naval Air Station in Italy for technical reasons, but this has not been confirmed.

We reported on the deployment of these F-22s in February, along with other moves toward the Middle East in anticipation of the then-unannounced Operation Epic Fury. After clearing RAF Lakenheath, the jet docked at Ovda Air Base in Israel for the dispute.

Unusually on its way back, the F-22 passed over the Gloucestershire base of RAF Fairford. Fairford was used extensively during the Epic Fury, providing a forward base for B-1B Lancer and B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers. The B-1s remain in Fairford, but the B-52s departed for home earlier this month while the ceasefire was officially in place.

Stopovers by fighter jets at the base are not common. Fighter base Lakenheath is a much more common location, with other movements occasionally passing through Glasgow Prestwick Airport. F-15E Strike Eagles from the 48th Fighter Wing at Lakenheath have also returned home decorated with a variety of nose artwork in recent weeks.

Our friends at X/Twitter with Saint1 were in Fairford for the F-22’s arrival and departure and captured footage on both occasions.

The Raptors used the Coronet callsign TREND for both legs of the trip. The ten jets that arrived were 05-4099, 05-4104, 08-4154, 08-4158, 08-4168, 08-4171, 09-4175, 09-4177, 09-4187, and 10-4194. 05-4104 appears to be a single jet still on deck at Fairford, while 08-4152 and 09-4173 appear to be jets still in Israel or at intermediate bases such as Sigonella.

While these jets are returning to the United States, the situation in the Middle East is rapidly deteriorating. The ceasefire between the United States and Iran has officially ended, and the United States has resumed daily attacks on Iranian targets. In particular, this included an attack on the Bandar Abbas naval base near the Strait of Hormuz, which employed unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) in a one-way attack role.

Some people have asked why the Raptors are heading home at this hour. However, all aircraft and squadrons must consider that there is a finite amount of time during which they can reasonably be deployed forward while maintaining a high level of operational capability. A resumption of hostile actions against Iran would take a very different approach compared to the launch date of Operation Epic Fury. Most of the air defense threats have already been neutralized without enough time to fully reproduce, and advanced ‘sophisticated’ capabilities such as the incredibly stealthy F-22 may be lower on the list of must-have assets.

Indeed, in the later stages of the war, we saw more vulnerable aircraft types, such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II, moving closer and closer to the front lines after previously being relegated to targeting Iran and its proxies in Syria.

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A U.S. Marine Corps F-35C Lightning II prepares for flight at an undisclosed location in the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury, May 27, 2026. (Image credit: Sgt. Joealfred Damaso/US Marine Corps)

Despite the return of the 1st Fighter Wing’s F-22s, the United States maintains a significantly enhanced presence of assets across the Middle East, including fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, the Abraham Lincoln and George HW Bush Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs), and the Boxer Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs).

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On June 29, 2026, an F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the 41st Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) takes off from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) is visible in the distance. (Image credit: U.S. Navy)

On July 10, President Trump officially notified Congress that hostilities with Iran had resumed. All subsequent efforts to restart peace talks appear to have failed.

He wrote, “These attacks are limited, measured, planned, and executed in a manner designed to minimize civilian casualties. They are focused on military capabilities that pose a threat to U.S. forces in the region, protect the U.S. homeland, advance U.S. national interests, ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, and defend regional allies and partners.”

Many thanks to our friend @Saint1mil for allowing us to use his footage to illustrate this article. You can see more videos on his YouTube channel.

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