Air Force Capt. Nick “Laz” Le Tourneau, pilot and commander of the F-22 Raptor aerial demonstration team, practices at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Feb. 27, 2026. (Mary Bowers/U.S. Air Force)
The U.S. Air Force has canceled a planned appearance by its F-22 Raptor demonstration team at a New Zealand air show this weekend, scrapping what organizers had billed as the stealth fighter’s first appearance in the country.
The withdrawal removes one of the marquee attractions from the biennial Warbirds Over Wanaka air show and comes as U.S. forces remain heavily engaged with Operation Epic Fury in the Middle East.
“Due to operational requirements, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw our military aircraft from Warbirds Over Wanaka,” 1st Lt. Kate Anderson, a Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman, told Stars and Stripes by email Wednesday.
The Raptors had been scheduled to fly alongside vintage aircraft at Laka Wanaka on New Zealand’s South Island from Friday through Sunday.
In January, PACAF and Warbirds organizers announced what would have been the first appearance by the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team at the event.
“We deeply regret this outcome and the disappointment it causes,” Anderson wrote. “Our partnership with New Zealand and the air show organizers remains firm and we are grateful for their understanding. We are fully committed to this relationship and look forward to future opportunities.”
Two Raptors had been scheduled to operate from Christchurch International Airport, where New York Air National Guard LC-130 Skibird aircraft support the annual Operation Deep Freeze mission to Antarctica.
New Zealand’s air force also withdrew its C-130J Super Hercules and P-8 Poseidon aircraft from the air show because of fuel costs, public broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported this week.
The military aircraft withdrawals are disappointing, said Warbirds Over Wanaka general manager Ed Taylor.
“We never guarantee any aircraft will be at the air show as there are many reasons they may have to pull out — especially the military which may be required elsewhere at short notice,” he said in a statement posted on the event’s website.
Only 183 Raptors have been built since the aircraft entered service in late 2005, according to an Air Force fact sheet. The fifth-generation fighters cost $143 million each.
“The F-22 engines produce more thrust than any current fighter engine,” the fact sheet states. “The combination of sleek aerodynamic design and increased thrust allows the F-22 to cruise at supersonic airspeeds without using afterburner — a characteristic known as supercruise.”
