Holloman prepares for Raptor Published May 2, 2008 By Airman 1st Class Rachel Kocin 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) -- After retiring the F-117A Nighthawk, officials here are now preparing for the arrival of the F-22A Raptor. With the new aircraft come many transition projects. "One of the projects we have going on is phasing out tools used exclusively for the F-117," said Chief Master Sgt. James Harris, chief of the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Unit. "Then phasing in, getting our support section spun up with the F-22 equipment and tools," To help with the transition, a self help project called the West Area Revitalization Team is currently performing numerous upgrades to the base's infrastructure, said Maj. Bryan Bobeck, 49th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintenance operations officer. These upgrades include replacing floors, painting, building offices and completing roofing jobs. "There is a lot of work that has to be done and it's kept our folks employed and has actually helped the 49th Civil Engineering Squadron with taking some of the burden of all the work orders," said Major Bobeck. "That has been a huge effort that has saved thousands of dollars and has helped the MXG improve not only the appearance of its facilities but its functionality as well." Since there are no jets on Holloman, officials said the maintainers will fill their time training while they wait for the F-22 to arrive. "There will be formal training, computer based training, and on the job training," said Chief Harris. "The biggest portion will be on the job training." Initially an F-22A Cadre from Langley Air Force Base, Va., and other bases will conduct the training. The goal is for the cadre to train future F-22 trainers at Holloman AFB. Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page