F/A-22 Raptor - Combat Hammer

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah—Maj. Michael Shower lifts his F/A-22 Raptor from here for a late Combat Hammer mission Oct. 17. The major flies with the 27th Fighter Squadron, the Air Force’s first operational F/A-22 squadron, at Langley Air Force Base, Va. The deployment has a twofold goal: complete a deployment and to generate a combat-effective sortie rate away while deployed. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker)