Posted on 09/03/2006 7:51:28 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
High cost may slow Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor
11:14 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 29, 2006
By RICHARD WHITTLE / The Dallas Morning News
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. Neighbors of this history-laden airfield are getting used to a new sight: a plane roughly the color and shape of a giant arrowhead that takes off with a throaty roar and disappears in a hurry.
Built partly in Fort Worth, the Lockheed Martin Corp. F-22 Raptor is the Air Force's newest, fastest, stealthiest and most potent fighter jet. In a two-week exercise in Alaska this June, the Raptors of Langley's 27th Fighter Squadron racked up a record of 241-2 in mock battles with older U.S. fighters, according to Lt. Col. Wade Tolliver, the squadron's commander.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Convenient, even if on the incoming run they would be more detectable.
I got to see their first public showing in Chicago last year; just got lucky on the timing. Beautiful planes.
The new SU's are every bit as good as the F-15, which is after all a late 1960s design. Even the F-16 and F-18 are early '70s designs. I remember the flyoff between the YF-16 and YF-17 (predecessor to the F-18). The threat evolves, your systems must do so as well.
Wasn't the F-15 C/D line closed a long while ago???F-15Es are still being built for export orders,none for the USAF.
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