Posted on 03/06/2006 4:51:13 PM PST by MARKUSPRIME
March 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The 94th Fighter Squadron, famous for its historic "Hat in the Ring" insignia and legendary aviator Eddy Rickenbacker, began receiving F-22 Raptors from Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - News) today. The two 5th Generation stealthy, air dominance fighters are assigned to the second operational squadron in the U.S. Air Force.
ADVERTISEMENT The two Raptors will join F-22s flying today as part of the 1st Fighter Wing's 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va. Lockheed Martin has completed final assembly on 71 of the 107 fighters now on contract, and 63 have been delivered.
"This is another great milestone in the history of the F-22 Program," said Larry Lawson, Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President and F-22 Program General Manager. "The F-22 will dominate airspace anywhere around the globe, around the clock, and survive in contested airspace better than any other aircraft in the world.
He said they had noticed it too. Maybe it was jealousy but he said that wing was generally considered the worst one in the Air Force. Now they get the F-22 first.
Old Navy truism; Those closest to the flagpole get the goodies/funding first.
I thought the contract was for 277 Raptors, not 107.
Have the morons who think all we need now are "special forces and drones because the only enemies now are non-state actors" reduced it again?
Grrr...we should never have reduced it from the original requirement of 700 Raptors.
>:(
I know you didn't write that headline,
but Langley Virginia is Fairfax County, inside the DC beltway. It's home of the CIA, near the Potomac River.
The F-22's are in Hampton, Virginia, of course.
(at Langley Air Force Base)
You got RIGHT. #'s may not win wars but it never hurts to have the ALL Air Force Fighter Squadrons out fitted with 'em all.
I used to live in Tidewater Virginia and have been on Langley many times. It is a nice looking base and still fairly close to the Pentagon.
Yep. Quality is much more important than quantity, but 1 F/A-22 is not going to be able to defeat 20 enemy aircraft. What happens when your hardpoints are empty and your guns are dry?
We need as many F/A-22s as possible. I believe we have about 900 F-15s. Therefore, we need about 900 F/A-22s to replace them.
You leave the area ASAP.
I think I've read that in a recent simulation, the F-22 was at least 10 times more likely to survive all known threats in any given area than the F-15. When you are a U.S. Marine on the ground, having the skies over you dominated by however many F-22's has to be important. I understand that most fighter pilots want them because they are very, very hard to shoot down with SAM's.
The F-22's role isn't close air support. That's supposed to be the job of the F-35 JSF.
183 is the number they are making initially. Then they have to go back to congress to ask for more. I really get sick of our politicians.
It doesn't really work that way. You are not going to ever see a situation where one Raptor is alone against 20 enemy aircraft, all of them fighters. Typically you will see a 2-section or a 4-section. 4 Raptors would destroy 20 current enemy fighters with ease, but they would not get the chance.
As soon as airplanes start blowing up, those remaining would run like hell from the area. We don't need 900 Raptors under any circumstances. 200-250 will be plenty. Air Combat is never a war of attrition.
I say cut Medicare, Medicaid, abolish the Dept of Edu. and BUY 2500 of these babies!
I saw an interview with the pilot of that "fight". He said it was like clubbing baby seals.
Well, here & now is 2006, a year that offers us the possibility of relieving some "symptoms" of said sickness.
Now THAT makes me sick.
Me as well, but that's what he said.
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
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