Capt. Nick “Laz” Le Tourneau, the team’s pilot and commander, flew the Raptor through its display routine on the first day of the two-day event. The performance anchored a lineup that also included the JBER Joint Forces Demonstration Team, the Pacific Air Forces C-17 Demonstration Team and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
The F-22 remains the Air Force’s most capable air superiority fighter more than two decades after it entered service, prized for a combination of stealth, speed and maneuverability that has kept it in high demand for air shows and operational deployments alike. Production ended in 2011 after just 187 aircraft were built, making each Raptor appearance something of a rare sighting for aviation audiences.
The venue carries its own significance. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson sits at the center of U.S. Arctic and Pacific defense planning, hosting Air Force and Army units tasked with monitoring a region where Russian and Chinese military activity has drawn increasing attention from Washington in recent years. Arctic Thunder, held every two years, doubles as both a public outreach event and a visible reminder of the base’s role in that mission.
The open house is free and draws large crowds to JBER whenever it is held, offering one of the few opportunities for the public to see military demonstration teams perform together in the same setting.
