US sends F-22 fighters to Romania

Two F-22 Raptor fighters of the US Air Force arrived Monday at an air base near the Black Sea port of Constanta in southeast Romania.

The first presence in Romania of these fifth-generation fighter aircraft, within Operation Atlantic Resolve, comes as part of NATO's collective security and regional stability, local media reported.

"F-22 planes will be here only today, but will remain in Europe for a few months," Lt. Gen. Timothy Ray, the U.S. 3rd Air Force commander, said during a press conference at the air base.

The presence of F-22 fighters in Romania shows the level of strategic partnership reached between the two countries, as well as the measures established to raise operational capacity of NATO air forces, said General Nicolae Ciuca, Romania's Chief of General Staff.

Source: XINHUA