Col. Bryan Radliff, the commander of the 477th Fighter Group at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, announced the Air Force Reserve Command F-22 unit had reached full operational capability during a Unit Training Assembly on 12 September 2012. Full operational capability means the unit is ready to execute its wartime tasking. The 477th FG and its flying unit, the 302nd Fighter Squadron, were reactivated at Elmendorf in October 2007 when the group became the first AFRC Raptor unit and the only Air Force Reserve unit in Alaska. The 477th FG, along with the active duty 3rd Wing, declared initial operating capability with the F-22 in September 2008. The 477th FG unit heritage traces back to the 477th Bombardment Group, a Tuskegee Airmen unit that was never fully operational.
