Direct proof of use
The F-22 Raptor is directly documented in the Syrian Civil War through U.S. Air Force reporting on coalition operations against ISIL in Syria. On Sept. 29, 2014, the Air Force said the F-22 made its combat debut with its first strike on enemy ground targets during the coalition campaign against ISIL, and the same account tied the mission planning to the Syrian laydown.
A later U.S. Air Forces Central article gives a more specific Syrian strike episode. On June 23, 2015, a pair of F-22 Raptors flying over Syria received a short-notice 9-line request from a joint terminal attack controller, then released multiple satellite-guided small-diameter bombs against two ISIL-operated field artillery pieces threatening friendly forces.
Sources: F-22 Raptor brings unique capabilities to the coalition fight against ISIL, F-22 adapts to OIR conflict, 'Cleared Hot' in Iraq, Syria
Timeline
The documented F-22 record in this conflict begins with coalition air operations against ISIL in Syria in 2014. Air Force coverage identified the aircraft as part of the strike package and described its first combat strike against enemy ground targets.
By June 2015, AFCENT reporting described F-22s performing close air support over Syria, including the small-diameter-bomb strike on ISIL artillery. That account presented the mission as one of the aircraft's first close-air-support engagements under Operation Inherent Resolve.
Sources: F-22 Raptor brings unique capabilities to the coalition fight against ISIL, F-22 adapts to OIR conflict, 'Cleared Hot' in Iraq, Syria
Operational role
In the Syrian Civil War record, the F-22 appears as a U.S.-operated coalition aircraft rather than a Syrian-owned system. The directly sourced missions were precision strike, close air support, and strike-package support against ISIL targets in Syria.
The 2015 AFCENT account also described F-22 pilots using the aircraft's advanced sensors to provide situational awareness to coalition forces. That supports the aircraft's catalog role as both a precision-strike platform and a support asset for coalition ground and air operations.
Sources: F-22 adapts to OIR conflict, 'Cleared Hot' in Iraq, Syria, CJTF-OIR History
Coalition context
The F-22 use fits the U.S.-led anti-ISIS air campaign that overlapped with the wider Syrian Civil War. CJTF-OIR states that the Department of Defense formally established Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve on Oct. 17, 2014, for ongoing military action against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
CJTF-OIR history describes the coalition as conducting strikes against Da'esh and later supporting partner forces in Syria, including Syrian Democratic Forces operations against ISIS-held territory. That context explains why this page maps the F-22 to the catalog side for Syrian Democratic Forces and coalition partners.
Sources: CJTF-OIR History
