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F-22A Raptor
The ValuJet Disaster
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operational capability (IOC) with the technology.
27th Fighter Squadron (FS) of the 1st Two contractor teams were selected in
October 1986 for an initial 50 month dem-
Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) at Langley onstration and validation phase, with each “For air-to-air training,
AFB in Virginia, in December. team to deliver two concept demonstrators. we train against both
The F-22’s combination of stealth, The YF-22 was to be developed by Lockheed,
supercruise, manoeuvrability, and integrated legacy aircraft and
General Dynamics and Boeing, while the
electronics means it not only indisputably each other, but it’s
rival YF-23 was born out of a Northrop and
rules the skies against all comers; it is likely to McDonnell Douglas teaming. Two competing getting harder to get
do so for decades to come. engines were also developed for the flyoff; the legacy guys to
Australian Aviation visited Langley and the Pratt & Whitney YF119 and General come out to fight,”
Washington DC the week before the IOC Electric’s YF120, with both teams to fly both
ceremony for an update on the F-22A Major Corcoran told
engines in their two demonstrator aircraft.
program and the aircraft’s introduction into The resulting YF-22 and YF-23 demonstra- AA. “It’s no fun for
service. tors were both about 10 per cent larger than them anymore!”
the F-15 they were designed to replace, with
”
HISTORY & DEVELOPMENT almost twice the internal fuel load, 50 per
The F-22 was born out of the USAF’s cent more wing area and 30 per cent greater
Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competi- combat weight.
tion, which had its origins in various USAF The first YF-22, dubbed prototype air ve-
studies carried out in the late 1970s and early hicle one (PAV-1) and equipped with YF120 Title pic – The first operational
1980s. Intelligence on the Soviet Union’s engines, was officially rolled out in August F/A-22 Raptor overflies
emerging Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters was 1990 at Lockheed’s facility at Palmdale Fort Monroe in Hampton,
becoming available, and it soon became ap- in California, and made its first flight on Virginia, before arriving at its
parent that these promised to give the Soviets September 29. The second YF119 powered permanent home at nearby
parity with their US F-15 and F-16 equiva- prototype made its first flight on October 30. Langley AFB on May 12 2005.
lents, so a new fighter had to be found. Both aircraft were flown the short distance to This was the first of 26 Raptors
to be delivered to the 27th FS.
The ATF program was officially initiated in Edwards AFB where they would be based for (USAF)
1981, with the USAF releasing a requirement the demonstration and evaluation.
The 27th FS flightline at Langley Air Force Base. The 94th and 71st FSs will follow the 27th in converting from the F-15C to the Raptor, with
Langley expected to be home to some 72 F-22s by the end of 2007. (Andrew McLaughlin)
Corcoran came to the 27th after aircraft weapons systems are finding their our overall abilities with it,” the 27th’s
being one of eight USAF Air Combat way into second and even third world squadron commander, Lieutenant
Command pilots to be involved with military inventories, and that a China Colonel Jim Hecker, said in a statement
some of the testing work on the F-22 with rapid annual growth and regional during the deployment. “It’s an impor-
at Edwards and Nellis AFBs since 2002 tensions of its own looms as a potential tant training opportunity for our Raptor
with contractors from Lockheed Martin, future Cold War style adversary. team, but it’s also an event steeped in
Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Computer Current funding levels released in historic value.”
Sciences Corporation, Tybrin and JT3. the wake of February’s Quadrennial Nevertheless, the deployment suc-
“Every flight got better and better, Defense Review (QDR) allow for 183 cessfully generated a combat effective
and we eventually got the software fixes F-22s to be acquired. The USAF puts sortie rate with regular JDAM bombing
we needed,” Major Corcoran said. “It the Raptor’s price tag at about US$160m missions scoring 22 direct hits out of 24
was great to be a part of the team that (A$216m) per aircraft averaged over the bombs dropped, air combat sorties, and
found the solutions. But even when the production run, and Lockheed Martin flights against simulated SAM batteries
avionics weren’t working right, nobody estimates future unit recurring flyaway over the ranges near Hill and nearby
could see us, so we’d just roll in behind prices would drop to between US$86 Nellis AFBs. “Thousands of people have
them and get them with guns! It was like (A$117m) and US$100m (A$135m) spent thousands of hours preparing this
playing a major league team against the each if production were to be extended. aircraft for mission-ready status,” LtCol
little leaguers.” To date, the USAF has taken delivery Hecker said. “Our job now is to use this
In March 2005, the Pentagon’s of about 70 F-22s including training training opportunity to the fullest and
Defense Acquisitions Board (DAB) and T&E aircraft at Edwards, Nellis, continue on the path to bringing this air
gave the F-22 program approval to Tyndall and Langley AFBs. dominance vision to fruition.”
commence full rate production. Critics “In any other aircraft, if I was going
have panned the F-22, some estimating IOC ACHIEVED to try and do what I did (at Hill), I’d be
that the aircraft will end up costing dead,” said Major Corcoran. “Pitting the
more than US$350m (A$473m) each The first of 26 F-22s to be delivered to Raptor against the simulated effective-
when research and development fund- the 27th FS, tail number 03-042, arrived ness of these next generation SAM
ing is extrapolated across the number at Langley on May 12 2005, and 16 more systems is an important step in gaining
of airframes acquired, and saying it was Raptors had followed by year’s end. confidence in the airplane’s capabilities.”
designed to fight an enemy which no The 27th’s first training deployment Following the squadron’s return from
longer exists. took place on October 15 last year, Hill, several smaller two day missions
Conversely, supporters of the program when eight F-22s deployed to Hill AFB to Nellis were carried out. “Towards
say this is a simplistic view in that, like in Utah for a two week period. Cynics the end of ’05 we started making trips
it or not, the development money has point out the Hill mission was designed over to the Nellis range in Nevada with
already been spent, and much of the as much to show the aircraft and its small four ship elements,” the 27th’s
technology developed for the F-22 will capabilities to the American taxpayer Director of Operations, Lieutenant
find its way into the F-35 Joint Strike through the granting of unprecedented Colonel Wade ‘Troll’ Tolliver, told
Fighter and other programs. Hawkish media access to the aircraft and its Australian Aviation. “We’d fly straight
proponents add that, although the US crews, as to demonstrate the aircraft’s from Langley to the Nellis range, fly the
no longer faces a threat from the USSR, deployability. “We are eager to take mission, then recover into Nellis. Then
many advanced Russian aircraft and anti- this airplane on the road and practice we’d do the same thing in reverse the
The F-22 has an intuitive cockpit layout which supplies Raptor pilots with an abundance of information. The biggest challenge for pilots is
when to access the information and how to best use it. (USAF)
next day.” LtCol Tolliver has 13 years Evaluation (FOT&E) and was declared The F-22 further demonstrated its
of experience flying F-16C Block 30, mission capable in the air-to-ground combat readiness when the aircraft flew
40 and 50 fighters, and had a year on role. The capabilities evaluated during its first Operation Noble Eagle missions
F-15Cs before converting to the F-22 in the FOT&E process included deploy- guarding US airspace against potential
mid 2004. ability, sortie generation and JDAM terror attacks on January 21 and 22
The successful Hill deployment and employment, and were conducted this year. “This is our first operational
subsequent Nellis missions combined by the Nellis based 422nd Test and mission, the first mission where we’ve
with the continuing work performed by EWvaluation Squadron. carried live ordnance,” LtCol Hecker
the Nellis based T&E unit culminated Meanwhile, the F-22A is already said at the time. “Most of our pilots
in the aircraft being granted IOC on showing availability and maintenance have done this before, but not with the
December 15. This means the USAF man hour rates comparable to the Raptor. It’s a big step for us and a big
now considers the aircraft as a part of mature F-15C which it is replacing. step for the Raptor program.”
its order of battle and that it can call Lockheed Martin projects that, once the Although the F-22 is not expected
upon at least 12 aircraft to be ready to Raptor fleet reaches ‘maturity’ at around to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan
deploy for combat. “If we go to war to- 100,000 flying hours, it should require where air dominance has already been
morrow, the Raptor will go with us,” the about one-third the maintenance hours achieved, further missions and deploy-
commander of the USAF’s Air Combat per flight hour of its forebear. To date, ments are planned over the next few
Command, General Ronald Keys, said the total Raptor fleet has flown about months culminating in the unit’s first
during December’s IOC ceremony. 11,000 hours. “It used to be that we had visit to the Red Flag exercises at Nellis
“I’m expecting we’ll achieve full to care for stealth platforms like babies,” in October.
operational capability (FOC) within 12 Lockheed Martin’s F-22 business devel- “At this stage, we’re planning to
months, although our IOC allows us opment representative Danny Conroy, send our first detachment to Red Flag
to be deployed tomorrow if something a former USAF F-4 and F-16 pilot, told in October ’06 which should be just
kicked off,” LtCol Tolliver added. AA. “Now we can park the F-22s outside awesome,” LtCol Tolliver told AA.
“We’re definitely ready to go now if we alongside the F-15s and F-16s, and they “However, towards the end of May
were needed.” don’t require any special handling at all. or early June we’re planning on taking
In January the F-22A achieved And the (APG-77 AESA) radar, because 12 jets to Elmendorf AFB in Alaska
another milestone when it completed it has no moving parts, is designed to last for a two month deployment called
its Follow-on Operational Test and as long as the airplane.” ‘Northern Edge’. Around the same