US Air Force to Launch Operation Pacific Iron 2021 in July, Including a Large Fleet of F-22 Raptors

U.S. F-22 stealth jets intercepted four Russian bombers and two Russian Su-35 fighter jets off the coast of Alaska, according to a statement from North American Aerospace Defense Command, on May 20, 2019. Sr Master Sgt ThomasMenegiun/DOD

Operation Pacific Iron 2021 is scheduled to take place within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility in July to showcase the U.S. air force’s strategic flexibility, according to Pacific Air Forces.

The announcement comes as U.S.-China tensions continue to simmer over the issues of Taiwan and the South China Sea.