Postage Stamp Collection PS53821

Postage Stamp Collection PS53821 1/145-scale diecast model of the F-22A Raptor, serial number AF03-4042, of the 27th Fighter Squadron (27th FS) “Fighting Eagles”, 1st Operations Group (1st OG), United States Air Force (USAF).

27th FS, USAF

The 27th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit, part of the 1st Operations Group, located at Joint Base Langley–Eustis in Virginia. It operates the F-22 Raptor and is recognized as the oldest active fighter squadron in the USAF.

Originally established on May 8, 1917, as the 21st Aero Squadron, it was later renamed the 27th Aero Squadron. The squadron fought on the Western Front during World War I and in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations during World War II. Since the end of the Cold War, the squadron has participated in most US military engagements.

Lockheed F-22 Raptor

The Lockheed F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, stealth tactical fighter. Designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, it is also capable of ground attack, electronic warfare, and signal intelligence. The maiden flight took place on September 7, 1997, and entered service on December 15, 2005. Under US federal law, the F-22 cannot be exported. Production ended in 2011, with 195 airframes built.

It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119 after-burning turbofan engines, with pitch-axis thrust vectoring nozzles mounted side by side in the rear of the fuselage. The armament consists of one cannon in the right-wing root, three internal weapons bays: the primary bay is on the underside centreline of the fuselage, two smaller bays aft of the engine intakes, and four external hardpoints that can carry up to 9,080 kg (20,000 lb) of stores.