HAWAII (BNS): To bolster its presence in the Western Pacific region, the US will deploy 15 F-22 Raptor fighters at its Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in January for three months.

The fighter aircraft along with the air force personnel will be deployed from the 90th Fighter Squadron Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, US Air Force said in its website.

“The deployment supports US Pacific Command's theater security packages in the Western Pacific and follows the recent departure from the theater of two deployed squadrons of F-22s that also were supporting US PACOM's TSP,” it said.

The fighters and personnel deployed in Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and Kadena Air Base, Japan, completed their redeployment in October 2009, it said.

The F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation multi-role combat aircraft used for its stealth features, air superiority, ground attack, electronic warfare and signal intelligence roles. It flies at supersonic speed and is capable of simultaneously conducting air-to-air-to-ground missions.

The combat aircraft was formally inducted in the US Air Force in 2005.