Chinese Firm Shows F-22 Jets in Israel

High-resolution satellite imagery released Feb. 26, 2026, by Shanghai-based commercial firm MizarVision shows 11 U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighters parked at Ovda Air Base in Israel’s Negev Desert. 

The images, dated around Feb. 25, include Chinese annotations labeling each aircraft “F-22 战斗机.” 

A second image identifies components of a U.S. Patriot air-defense battery, likely PAC-3, including launchers, the Engagement Control Station (ECS), Electric Power Plant (EPP), and support vehicles.

The deployment marks the first known instance of F-22s operating from Israeli territory. 

Ovda—also spelled Uvda—sits in southern Israel and features hardened aircraft shelters and relative geographic depth compared to bases farther north.

Open-source flight tracking indicates that 12 F-22s departed RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom on or around Feb. 24, 2026. 

One aircraft returned early because of a technical issue, leaving 11 Raptors arriving in Israel. 

The F-22, the U.S. Air Force’s premier air-superiority stealth fighter, is designed for air dominance missions, featuring supercruise capability, low observable shaping, and advanced sensor fusion. 

Its forward basing outside the continental United States remains rare due to fleet size and operational sensitivity.

The Ovda deployment forms part of a broader U.S. military buildup across the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran over its nuclear program. 

Recent weeks have seen additional aircraft and assets positioned at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, including F-35 fighters, EA-18G Growlers, tankers, transports, and airborne early warning aircraft (AEW&C, Airborne Early Warning and Control). 

Additional carrier, bomber, and air-defense deployments have also been reported.

MizarVision has in recent weeks published imagery of U.S. assets across the region, including more than 18 F-35s in Jordan, as well as THAAD components, AWACS aircraft, and refueling platforms.