Raptor continuing Air Force's air superiority record

  • Published
  • By Capt. Chris Karns
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  With air dominance training under way here, the Air Force's newest asset, the F/A-22 Raptor, is proving its worth every day as it nears initial operational capability.

The Raptor will eventually replace the F-15 Eagle, an aircraft with an undefeated 104-0 combat record, according to Brig. Gen. Larry New, former 325th Fighter Wing commander. The general said that combat record will continue with the addition of the Raptor to the Air Force team.

While the Eagle's record speaks for itself, 30-year-old technology can only extend that record so much farther, said Col. Timothy Merrell, the 325th Operations Group commander and a new F/A-22 pilot.

Some foreign fighters currently match or exceed U.S. fighter capabilities, and today's F-15s and F-16 Fighting Falcons cannot penetrate the double-digit surface-to-air missile threat without losses, Colonel Merrell said.

"Adversaries are not standing still and weapons continue to evolve and improve, as does the quality of pilots being produced by other nations," he said.

Even the most seasoned Eagle pilot will tell you that despite its impressive track record, the technological gap has closed, and the need for the Raptor is real, said General New, an F-15 pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours.

"Just because the Warsaw pact dissolved and the Cold War ended doesn't mean threat capabilities don't still exist, or continue to exist and advance in the future," he said.

"The Raptor brings on the next generation of applying technology to war fighting, putting our aircraft two generations ahead of any threat and removing us from our current status of weapons system parity," the general said. "Raptor technology combined with realistic training will provide air dominance, under which all other military actions become possible."

The Raptor combines the best attributes of current fighter aircraft with stealth, maneuverability and supercruise, the ability to reach and sustain supersonic speeds without the use of afterburners. Combine these attributes with the Raptor's avionics system, which integrates data from several sources for the pilot to view on one easy-to-read display, and you have an aircraft which gives pilots a first-look, first-shot and first-kill capability, Colonel Merrell said.

Even with the F/A-22's capability, ensuring Airmen can meet evolving threats are critical to mission success, General New said.

"We're approaching Raptor training with an open mind to fully develop its potential," General New said. "Realistic training, combined with the best-fielded equipment our nation can provide, gives us a capability superior to the adversaries we've faced in conflict."

Tyndall's 43rd Fighter Squadron is training all future F/A-22 pilots. Since the base received its first F/A-22 in September 2003, Tyndall pilots have flown nearly 250 cumulative hours and more than 253 sorties in the Raptor as the aircraft moves closer to initial operational capability.

But pilots are not the only Airmen raving about the Raptor. Maintainers are finding the Raptor's new technology a quantum leap over the legacy systems of the past.

"The Raptor [contains] fourth-generation stealth technology and has a fully integrated avionics suite, yet it remains the most maintenance-friendly airplane ever," said Capt. Rognald Christensen, the 43rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit’s officer in charge.

One maintenance-friendly feature is the portable computer that hooks directly into the aircraft. It enables maintenance crews to conduct operational checks on the ground, eliminating the need to get into the cockpit during engine runs. It also contains a library of 1,300 technical orders.

Integrating technical orders with maintenance tasks ensures fingertip access to information and that each step is completed correctly before allowing the maintainer to proceed, Captain Christensen said.

Easy access to components is another feature. On other aircraft, changing components is not a maintainer-friendly experience, said Master Sgt. Richard Street, the 43rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit section chief.

"On the Raptor, I don't have to remove one component in order to reach another," Sergeant Street said.

"We owe it to future generations to give them new things to work with and the opportunity and responsibility to take those new things and deliver effects in ways we never thought of," said Lt. Col. Mike Stapleton, 43rd Fighter Squadron director of operations. "The F/A-22 will do just that and more." (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service)