MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) – The use of fifth generation US stealth F-22 Raptor fighters against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization in Syria could be explained by the United States’ fear of Syrian air defense forces, military experts told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
"The main reason for the use of the F-22 against Syrian militants is the fear that Syria could strike the United States air and destroy its planes. But the Raptor is very difficult to intercept, as it belongs to the category of stealth fighters," Vice President at the Academy for Geopolitical Issues Konstantin Sivkov said.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed the use of a fifth-generation fighter F-22 and high-precision Tomahawk subsonic cruise missiles against IS militants. The F-22 Raptor is the world's only fifth-generation fighter in service as Russia’s T-50 and China’s J-20 are being tested.
At the same time, member of the public council at the Russian Ministry of Defense Igor Korotchenko believes that the use of Raptor in Syria is a common combat task set by US military leadership.
"In the fight against ISIL Americans are using high-precision weaponry, which is nominally in service, but it is worth noting that the F-22 fighter is being used for the first time outside the United States. ISIL is made up of irregular armed groups, testing the latest military equipment on them makes no sense. Now it is important for the United States to determine the location of the command centers of the Islamic State... This is a standard military task," he said.
He also condemned the actions of the United States in Syria because they run counter to UN Security Council resolutions.
The president of the Academy of Geopolitical Issues Leonid Ivashov did not rule out the possibility of using the latest American weapons in the Syrian conflict: "The fact is that according to US law, new equipment is taken into service only when it has been tested in real combat situations.”
Ivashov also said that the tragic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 was carried out by Americans despite the fact that the field tests of these weapons of mass destruction had not been completed.
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has been fighting against Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the group extended its attacks to northern and western Iraq, declaring a caliphate on the territories over which it had control.
