U.S. F-22 Stealth Fighter Secures Air Dominance During Special Forces Operation in Venezuela
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U.S. officials said U.S. Air Force fifth-generation aircraft, including F-22s, supported Operation Absolute Resolve in Caracas on January 3. President Donald Trump said the mission captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
U.S. Air Force fifth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-22 Raptors, were deployed as part of the air component supporting the high-risk operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, according to official U.S. statements and public remarks by senior military leadership. President Donald Trump confirmed that the operation, designated Operation Absolute Resolve, resulted in the apprehension of Maduro and his wife following a joint military and interagency effort conducted in Caracas.
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The F-22 Raptor is a U.S. Air Force fifth-generation stealth fighter designed to achieve and sustain air dominance through a combination of low observability, supercruise capability, advanced sensor fusion, and high-performance maneuverability in contested environments (Picture Source: Ricardo Arduengo)
During a public briefing, Lt. Gen. Dan Caine confirmed that F-22 Raptors were among the aircraft involved in the operation, which mobilized more than 150 U.S. military aircraft across multiple services. The air component included a broad mix of fighter, bomber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic support, and rotary-wing platforms tasked with enabling the safe insertion and extraction of U.S. special operations forces.
In parallel, images published by photographer Ricardo Arduengo show a concentration of U.S. fighter aircraft at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station beginning on January 3. The imagery indicates the presence of at least ten aircraft consistent in configuration with F-22 Raptors on the airfield. While the U.S. Department of Defense has not formally confirmed the basing arrangement or duration of the deployment, the imagery suggests a significant forward positioning of fifth-generation airpower in the Caribbean during the timeframe of the operation.
According to Gen. Caine, the joint air component was responsible for dismantling and disabling elements of Venezuela’s air-defense network in the opening phase of the operation to ensure protected air corridors for the helicopters carrying U.S. Army special operations forces. In this context, the most probable role of the F-22 Raptors, based on doctrine and known operational requirements, was the establishment of air dominance and counter-air coverage, denying Venezuelan forces any ability to contest the airspace during the insertion and extraction phases.
The relevance of the F-22 Raptor to this mission profile lies in its design as a dedicated air superiority platform optimized for operations against both advanced fighter aircraft and integrated air-defense systems. The aircraft combines very low observable shaping with radar-absorbent materials, allowing it to operate deep inside contested airspace with a significantly reduced probability of detection. Its AN/APG-77 active electronically scanned array radar provides long-range detection and tracking of multiple airborne targets, while its sensor fusion architecture integrates radar, electronic support measures, data links, and off-board intelligence into a single tactical picture.
This allows F-22 pilots to identify, prioritize, and engage threats well before adversary systems are aware of their presence. Armed with AIM-120 AMRAAM beyond-visual-range missiles and AIM-9X short-range missiles carried internally, the Raptor is capable of engaging multiple targets in rapid succession while preserving its stealth profile, a decisive advantage in establishing uncontested control of the air.
In the Venezuelan context, the most credible air-to-air threat the F-22s could have encountered would have been the Venezuelan Air Force’s fleet of Russian-built Su-30MK2 fighters. These aircraft, while formidable fourth-generation platforms equipped with long-range air-to-air missiles and capable radars, lack the low-observable characteristics, sensor fusion, and networked battlespace awareness of fifth-generation systems. In a potential engagement scenario, F-22s would likely have detected and tracked Su-30s at significantly greater distances, enabling beyond-visual-range engagements under conditions where Venezuelan pilots would have had limited or no situational awareness. Other Venezuelan combat aircraft, such as older F-16A/Bs and light attack platforms, would have posed an even lower level of risk in an air dominance scenario shaped by stealth fighters and supporting assets.
There is also a high probability that the Raptors contributed indirectly to the suppression of Venezuela’s integrated air-defense environment by exploiting their stealth, sensor fusion, and situational awareness capabilities. Rather than conducting direct electronic attack, the aircraft were likely used to detect and track radar emissions, identify air-defense nodes, and provide targeting or threat cueing to other elements of the joint air component. This form of battlespace shaping would have been critical to neutralizing risks to both rotary-wing assets and high-value intelligence and command-and-control platforms, particularly given Venezuela’s inventory of Russian-supplied surface-to-air missile systems.
With moderate probability, the F-22s also served in a stealth overwatch and escort role, maintaining protected air corridors for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets operating closer to Venezuelan airspace. Their presence would have significantly reduced the risk of interception or engagement by Venezuelan aircraft or surface-based systems, while preserving operational freedom of maneuver throughout the mission. By contrast, there is a low probability that the Raptors were employed in direct kinetic strike or stand-alone electronic warfare roles, as those functions are typically assigned to more specialized platforms. No official statements indicate that the F-22s were used in such a capacity during the operation.
The mission, which unfolded over several hours, was described by U.S. authorities as the culmination of months of planning involving U.S. military forces and intelligence agencies. It concluded with the successful capture of Nicolás Maduro and several senior figures from his inner circle, marking one of the most consequential U.S. special operations missions conducted in the Western Hemisphere in recent decades.
While the Pentagon has not released further operational details, U.S. officials have highlighted Operation Absolute Resolve as a demonstration of the United States’ ability to integrate stealth air dominance, joint air operations and special operations forces to achieve strategic objectives in a defended environment, reinforcing the operational relevance of fifth-generation aircraft in complex, real-world contingencies.
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U.S. officials said U.S. Air Force fifth-generation aircraft, including F-22s, supported Operation Absolute Resolve in Caracas on January 3. President Donald Trump said the mission captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
U.S. Air Force fifth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-22 Raptors, were deployed as part of the air component supporting the high-risk operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, according to official U.S. statements and public remarks by senior military leadership. President Donald Trump confirmed that the operation, designated Operation Absolute Resolve, resulted in the apprehension of Maduro and his wife following a joint military and interagency effort conducted in Caracas.
The F-22 Raptor is a U.S. Air Force fifth-generation stealth fighter designed to achieve and sustain air dominance through a combination of low observability, supercruise capability, advanced sensor fusion, and high-performance maneuverability in contested environments (Picture Source: Ricardo Arduengo)
During a public briefing, Lt. Gen. Dan Caine confirmed that F-22 Raptors were among the aircraft involved in the operation, which mobilized more than 150 U.S. military aircraft across multiple services. The air component included a broad mix of fighter, bomber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic support, and rotary-wing platforms tasked with enabling the safe insertion and extraction of U.S. special operations forces.
In parallel, images published by photographer Ricardo Arduengo show a concentration of U.S. fighter aircraft at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station beginning on January 3. The imagery indicates the presence of at least ten aircraft consistent in configuration with F-22 Raptors on the airfield. While the U.S. Department of Defense has not formally confirmed the basing arrangement or duration of the deployment, the imagery suggests a significant forward positioning of fifth-generation airpower in the Caribbean during the timeframe of the operation.
According to Gen. Caine, the joint air component was responsible for dismantling and disabling elements of Venezuela’s air-defense network in the opening phase of the operation to ensure protected air corridors for the helicopters carrying U.S. Army special operations forces. In this context, the most probable role of the F-22 Raptors, based on doctrine and known operational requirements, was the establishment of air dominance and counter-air coverage, denying Venezuelan forces any ability to contest the airspace during the insertion and extraction phases.
The relevance of the F-22 Raptor to this mission profile lies in its design as a dedicated air superiority platform optimized for operations against both advanced fighter aircraft and integrated air-defense systems. The aircraft combines very low observable shaping with radar-absorbent materials, allowing it to operate deep inside contested airspace with a significantly reduced probability of detection. Its AN/APG-77 active electronically scanned array radar provides long-range detection and tracking of multiple airborne targets, while its sensor fusion architecture integrates radar, electronic support measures, data links, and off-board intelligence into a single tactical picture.
This allows F-22 pilots to identify, prioritize, and engage threats well before adversary systems are aware of their presence. Armed with AIM-120 AMRAAM beyond-visual-range missiles and AIM-9X short-range missiles carried internally, the Raptor is capable of engaging multiple targets in rapid succession while preserving its stealth profile, a decisive advantage in establishing uncontested control of the air.
In the Venezuelan context, the most credible air-to-air threat the F-22s could have encountered would have been the Venezuelan Air Force’s fleet of Russian-built Su-30MK2 fighters. These aircraft, while formidable fourth-generation platforms equipped with long-range air-to-air missiles and capable radars, lack the low-observable characteristics, sensor fusion, and networked battlespace awareness of fifth-generation systems. In a potential engagement scenario, F-22s would likely have detected and tracked Su-30s at significantly greater distances, enabling beyond-visual-range engagements under conditions where Venezuelan pilots would have had limited or no situational awareness. Other Venezuelan combat aircraft, such as older F-16A/Bs and light attack platforms, would have posed an even lower level of risk in an air dominance scenario shaped by stealth fighters and supporting assets.
There is also a high probability that the Raptors contributed indirectly to the suppression of Venezuela’s integrated air-defense environment by exploiting their stealth, sensor fusion, and situational awareness capabilities. Rather than conducting direct electronic attack, the aircraft were likely used to detect and track radar emissions, identify air-defense nodes, and provide targeting or threat cueing to other elements of the joint air component. This form of battlespace shaping would have been critical to neutralizing risks to both rotary-wing assets and high-value intelligence and command-and-control platforms, particularly given Venezuela’s inventory of Russian-supplied surface-to-air missile systems.
With moderate probability, the F-22s also served in a stealth overwatch and escort role, maintaining protected air corridors for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets operating closer to Venezuelan airspace. Their presence would have significantly reduced the risk of interception or engagement by Venezuelan aircraft or surface-based systems, while preserving operational freedom of maneuver throughout the mission. By contrast, there is a low probability that the Raptors were employed in direct kinetic strike or stand-alone electronic warfare roles, as those functions are typically assigned to more specialized platforms. No official statements indicate that the F-22s were used in such a capacity during the operation.
The mission, which unfolded over several hours, was described by U.S. authorities as the culmination of months of planning involving U.S. military forces and intelligence agencies. It concluded with the successful capture of Nicolás Maduro and several senior figures from his inner circle, marking one of the most consequential U.S. special operations missions conducted in the Western Hemisphere in recent decades.
While the Pentagon has not released further operational details, U.S. officials have highlighted Operation Absolute Resolve as a demonstration of the United States’ ability to integrate stealth air dominance, joint air operations and special operations forces to achieve strategic objectives in a defended environment, reinforcing the operational relevance of fifth-generation aircraft in complex, real-world contingencies.
