U.S. sends highly advanced fighters to boost support for NATO alliesApril 26, 2016 - 12:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Two highly advanced U.S. fighters flew to the Black Sea on Monday, April 25 for the first time since Washington beefed up military support for NATO's eastern European allies who say they face aggression from Russia, according to Reuters. President Barack Obama promised in 2014 to bolster the defenses of NATO's eastern members, unnerved by the Crimea and eastern Ukraine crises. A U.S. KC-135 refueling plane flew with the two F-22 Raptor fighters from Britain to Romania's Mihail Kogalniceanu air base on the Black Sea. "We're here today to demonstrate our capability to take the F-22 anywhere needed in NATO or across Europe," said Squadron commander Daniel Lehoski. "We want to ... actually fly the aircraft and train with our NATO allies," he told a traveling Reuters reporter. The F-22s are almost impossible to detect on radar and so advanced that the U.S. Congress has banned Lockheed Martin from selling them abroad. The U.S. has deployed 12 of them at a British base in eastern England. "The increased size of the 2016 deployment ... allows U.S. Forces to assert their presence more widely across the eastern frontier," said U.S. Air Force spokeswoman Major Sheryll Klinkel. "We want to be able to operate out of multiple locations. We want to be able to keep our adversary guessing on where we're going to go next." The West is seeking to strengthen the defenses of its eastern flank and reassure eastern European NATO members - such as Poland, the Baltic states and Czech republic which spent decades under Soviet dominance - without provoking the Kremlin by stationing large forces permanently. But tensions are rising and Russia says the NATO build-up is stoking a dangerous situation. Photo: Reuters Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |