F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team Announces New Commander and Demonstration Pilot

Air Combat Command and the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team have announced the new Commander and Demonstration Pilot for the 2020 show season. Major Joshua “Cabo“ Gunderson will take command from Lt. Col. Paul “Loco” Lopez.

Major Joshua Gunderson is the United States Air Force F-22 Demonstration Team commander and pilot stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va. As the F-22 Demo Team Commander, he is responsible for representing Air Combat Command, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, and the United States of America at more than 20 air shows annually.

He leads the 18-member F-22 Demonstration Team, oversees maintenance actions performed on one of the most advanced fighter jets ever built, and showcases the Raptor’s exceptional maneuverability for more than 10 million spectators around the world each year. He is an operational F-22 pilot assigned to the 1st Operations Group within the 1st Fighter Wing.

Maj. Gunderson is from Tampa, Florida. After graduating from Bloomingdale High School, he attended the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During his time as a cadet, he participated in a foreign exchange program with the Spanish Air Force at their Academy in San Javier, Spain. In 2008, he earned his commission and graduated from the Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geospatial Science and a minor in Spanish.

Maj. Gunderson then attended undergraduate pilot training at Sheppard Air Force Base as part of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot training program in Wichita Falls, Texas. There he flew the T-6 Texan II and the T-38C Talon. He earned his pilot wings after completing the program in 2010.

Following pilot training, Maj. Gunderson completed Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, flying the AT-38C Talon at Randolph AFB, Texas prior to attending the F-15C Eagle Basic Course at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Upon graduation, Maj. Gunderson was assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan as an operational fighter pilot and Mission Commander.

Maj. Gunderson attended the F-22 Raptor transition course in August of 2014 at Tyndall Air Force Base. Upon completion, he flew F-22 Raptors in the 90th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson, Alaska until August of 2019 and also served as the Chief of Advanced Programs and an Instructor/Evaluator Pilot.

While serving in Alaska, Maj. Gunderson was selected to be the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander and pilot which lead him to move to the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in September of 2019.

Maj. Gunderson is an experienced combat proven Fighter Pilot with over 1,500 hours and two deployments to the Middle East in both the F-15 and F-22. Maj. Gunderson is thrilled to be a member of the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team with the mission of showcasing American airpower, recruiting and retaining America’s finest personnel into the Armed Forces, and enhancing international and domestic relationships.

You can found out where Major Gunderson and the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team will be this year by checking their 2020 schedule. Stay tuned to our website and social media for the latest news and updates regarding the 2020 air show season!