USAF F-22A Raptor Departure Melbourne Airport.

And that's a wrap..well a Raptor to be precise.. at approximately 9.50am this morning, the pair of United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor's from the 525th Fighter Squadron, that arrived at Melbourne Airport last Tuesday, finally departed.
Their Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker support is still sitting idle, with the Royal Australian Air Force sending an Airbus KC-30A MRTT from Amberley based 33 squadron, to help ferry the F-22's to Darwin, and assist them to make it to Kadena Air Base, Japan.

[@Erick.Aviation]

Awesome job filming them! Always forget how big they are until you see them next to a pickup truck.

[@hazza_007]

I saw them take off. They sound amazing

[@chartphred1]

Doubtful anyone will ever see them at that airport again, great catch

[@browndogprospecting3141]

Wow You Just Popped Up in Recommendations Very Cool to See That Seen F18 SuperHornets Upclose and Personal Port Hedland WA Years Ago 1 and Only Once Got One or Two Old Sckool Photos Somewhere😂 Have a Good Day ✌️👍s

[@green_comet83]

Shame they didn't stick around for this weekend and put on a show at the Formula 1

[@Roboambo]

Were they stuck in Melbourne since the airshow?

[@AviationSpottersOnline]

Yes

[@byt290]

Thx Mark 🇦🇺😎👍🇦🇺

[@thatmitchellguy7687]

Heading back to good ol’ Elmo!!!

[@Budginut]

Did you get video of the Galaxy talking off?

[@AviationSpottersOnline]

Sadly not, It took off an hour earlier than planned, as we were heading down.

[@Paul-ms2pd]

What we they doing the?

[@AviationSpottersOnline]

Technical issues since the airshow.

[@ronlucock3702]

@@AviationSpottersOnline Why civilian-airport Melbourne though? If they were able to depart Avalon, I realise it's just a hop across to Tullamarine, but couldn't they make it to Williamtown or Amberley, where they would have had access to better support & security?

[@AviationSpottersOnline]

@@ronlucock3702 Well the tanker left Melbourne airport before it suffered a technical problem, and was it’s divert field, hence why the Raptors it was dragging, returned with it.

[@l2andom]

​@@AviationSpottersOnline They'd go wherever the tanker went because I'm guessing they had Ravens or a security team onboard the tanker and they would have been responsible for the security for all three aircraft. Unless I'm just old and they don't do it that way anymore.

[@Paul-ms2pd]

@@AviationSpottersOnline Ok thanks mate

[@elmin2323]

Lucky there wasn't a war what a joke

[@ronlucock3702]

If there was a war, they wouldn't have been released to come here in the first place.

[@elmin2323]

@@ronlucock3702 war could of started the day after the air show

[@moystonadv3651]

and if there was..im sure you would be stuck behind your keyboard offering advice

[@elmin2323]

@@moystonadv3651 ye advice like y did it take weeks to fix it multi million dollar jets

[@hotelsix4099]

A war breaking out where?? The US airforce isn’t going to miss the few particular aircraft that visited us for the airshow.