F-22 Raptor Jets Damaged or Destroyed During Hurricane Michael: Report

Top video shows devastation at Mexico Beach, Florida

Reports said that several F-22 Raptor fighter planes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Michael as it tore through the Florida Panhandle.

Photos posted on social media show that several F-22s appeared to have been destroyed during the storm, according to the Air Force Times.

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said that some aircraft were left in hangars at Tyndall Air Force Base, which was severely damaged during Hurricane Michael. All of the hangars were damaged when the storm, a Category 4, hit the state.

“We anticipate the aircraft parked inside may be damaged as well, but we won’t know the extent until our crews can safely enter those hangars and make an assessment,” Stefanek told the paper.

The Air Force has not confirmed whether any F-22s were destroyed.

In a tweet posted by a writer for The Drive’s defense blog The War Zone, “One F-22 airframe has been spotted in a roofless hangar at Tyndall.” He added: “Check out the upper left portion of this photo. No idea if this is flying airframe or a ground trainer or what, but it doesn’t look good.”

News.com.au reported that there were 22 Raptor planes left on the base. About 33 of the high-tech aircraft, which are worth about $475 million each, were moved elsewhere before Michael hit, but some had to stay behind.

Air Force officials said that due to the hurricane damage, Tyndall Air Force Base will likely be uninhabited for weeks, according to the military news website Stars and Stripes.

The roofing was torn aircraft hangars at Tyndall, which is located near Panama City.

No power, water, or sewer service are available on the Base, officials said. People who evacuated should stay away, said officials in the Stars and Stripes report.

“At this point, Tyndall residents and evacuated personnel should remain at their safe location,” Col. Brian Laidlaw, the wing’s commander, said, the outlet reported. “We are actively developing plans to reunite families and plan to provide safe passage back to base housing.”

Base leadership is “working with Air Force leadership to develop a short-term plan for our airmen,” Laidlaw said, according to local news outlet The News-Herald.

“I’m sure there will be lots of questions about how to help,” Col. Michael Conley, commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, said of the base destruction. “Let’s give the Tyndall team the chance to fully assess the situation and figure out what they need.”

Aerial photo of damaged and destroyed homes after Hurricane Michael smashed into Florida's northwest coast in Mexico Beach, Fla, on Oct. 12, 2018. Dronebase/Reuters

Recovery Effort

Officials said that a search for survivors of Michael’s wrath in hard-hit areas has turned into a recovery operation.

“We’re going into recovery mode, unfortunately,” said Fire Chief Alex Baird of Panama City, Reuters reported. “At sunrise, we’ll start again on our search,” Baird said. “We hope that we’ll find more (survivors), but it’s more and more doubtful.”

Early in the coming week, President Donald Trump is expected to visit Florida and Georgia to inspect Michael’s damage.