While this is certainly nothing new, it’s unbelievably fun to watch, as a half dozen F-22A Raptors belonging to the 199th Fighter Squadron (part of the 154th Wing of the Hawaiian Air National Guard) took off for the Middle East Thursday in the wake of rising tensions between the United States and Russia in the war torn country of Syria.

Behold:

Here’s a little speculation (there’s been no formal announcement from the Pentagon as of yet) as to what the magnificent big metal birds will be doing when they arrive in the skies over the Middle East, from military aircraft blog Foxtrot Alpha:

It is not clear if the 199th Fighter Squadron’s deployment has been long planned as a replacement for F-22s already in the region, or if it will be to bolster the force. It would make great sense that additional Raptors would have been ordered to the theater considering Russia’s rapid buildup of air power in Syria over the last month.

Bolstering the F-22 force in light of the Russia’s dramatic geopolitical choices over the last few weeks makes total sense. The aircraft can be present in Syrian airspace while not appearing on enemy radar, soaking up electromagnetic intelligence from Russian aircraft while also working as a sentry of sorts for allied fighter, attack and unmanned aircraft operating in the largely ISIS held eastern part of the country. If need be, the F-22 can also confront Russia fighter aircraft should they make an aggressive move towards coalition aircraft.