First Raptor arrives at Tyndall

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 325th Fighter Wing's first permanently-assigned F/A-22 Raptor lands here Sept. 26. Tyndall, an Air Education and Training Command installation, was selected to serve as the Air Force's primary F/A-22 training base. The aircraft was piloted by Lt. Col. Jeff Harrigian, 43rd Fighter Squadron commander here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Steve Wallace)

by Tech. Sgt. Dan Neely
325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

9/29/2003 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- The first operational F/A-22 Raptor was delivered to the Air Force’s F/A-22 schoolhouse here Sept. 26.

Tyndall, once known as “The Home of Air Superiority” became “The Home of Air Dominance,” with the arrival of its first F/A-22. The Raptor will eventually replace the F-15 Eagle and sets the foundation for the next generation of combat-fighter pilots.

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Harrigian, commander of the 43rd Fighter Squadron here, flew “Raptor 18” from the Lockheed Martin Corp. assembly plant in Marietta, Ga., to Tyndall. Harrigian’s squadron will train future F/A-22 pilots.

“This is truly a historic event for Tyndall and the U.S. Air Force,” said Brig. Gen. Larry New, 325th Fighter Wing commander. “We’re very excited down here -- both the people here at Tyndall and our local community partners -- about standing up the Air Force’s very first operational F/A-22 squadron, bringing in the next chapter of Air Force history in air dominance and serving our nation.”

“This is a great honor for me personally,” Harrigian said. “I never thought I’d have the chance. This is a huge day, not just for the 43rd and the 325th, but for the entire Air Force and Bay County. I think we’re all really proud to have the airplane here.”

Harrigian thanked the entire Raptor team -- base members, contractors and the community.

“I know it’s been years and years of effort. From the bottom of my heart, I really do appreciate it,” he said. “We’ll do it right here, and just as General New said, ‘this is just the beginning.’ Air dominance will be our job and we look forward to doing that.”

The F/A-22, the Air Force’s premiere fighter, is a multi-role aircraft, designed to perform both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions. The Raptor elevates U.S. technological advantages and updates ‘70s technology using stealth, integrated avionics, maneuverability and supercruise (the capability to reach and maintain supersonic speeds without using fuel-expensive afterburners). These characteristics will provide the warfighter air dominance in any battlespace, according to officials.

The F/A-22 is a critical component of the Global Strike Task Force designed to project air dominance, rapidly and at great distances, to counter and defeat threats that will attempt to deny access to our forces. The F/A-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected adversary fighter aircraft.

The 325th FW, which trains F-15 pilots, air-battle managers, intelligence officers and air traffic controllers, was officially selected as the site for the F/A-22 pilot training program in August 2000.

Tyndall is expected to receive 50 Raptors over the next two years.

Pricey sumbitch - hope it works well...

by Christopher Hellman, Senior Analyst, chellman@cdi.org

The Pentagon has ordered the Air Force to cut its planned purchase of F-22 "Raptor" fighters from 325 to 276, a reduction of fifteen percent. The order, signed by the Defense Department?s Comptroller Dov Zakheim, is in response to the Air Force?s recent revelation that the F-22, already plagued by numerous delays and cost overruns, may be a further $690 million over budget. The cost of the F-22 program is currently set at $69 billion, which makes the per unit cost of the aircraft, if only 276 are purchased, a whopping $250 million.

On Nov. 7 the Air Force announced that the F-22 program was as much as $690 million over budget for the engineering, manufacturing and development phase of the program. According to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper, the cost growth was not the result of technological or performance problems, but was due to the fact that the aircraft?s components were costing more than expected. The Air Force appointed a team to examine the situation, determine its severity, and make recommendations about how to avoid similar problems in the future. The Pentagon?s top acquisition person, Edward Aldridge, later admitted that the cost overruns came as a surprise to DoD and Air Force officials.

In the wake of these revelations, a number of high-ranking program officials were sacked. The Air Force announced on Nov. 18 that Brig. Gen. William Jabour, the program executive officer, and Brig. Gen. Mark Shackelford, the system program director, were removed from their jobs. The following day the program?s prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, announced that their F/A-22 program manager Bob Readen had also been replaced. Then, at the end of November, the Pentagon announced the cost overruns would likely exceed $700 million, and could reach $1 billion.

The Air Force?s procurement chief Marvin Sambur expressed his growing doubts about the F-22, indicated that additional problems would force the service to "go back and reevaluate" the aircraft. "This program is on the bubble," said Sambur. He also indicated that rather than attempting to add more money to the program, the predicted overruns in development costs would be offset by cuts in production funding, forcing either greater efficiencies in the program or cutting the number of aircraft produced. Thus, in many ways, this week?s announcement about reductions in the planned buy of F-22s was inevitable.

Yet overall the Air Force remains committed to the program. In September, the service announced that it was redesignating the Raptor as the F/A-22, to highlight the fact that the plane, originally designed as an air superiority fighter tasked with destroying enemy air forces in the air, would be reconfigured to give it a ground attack capability. In announcing the plan, the Air Force indicated that it would seek production of at least 381 of the aircraft, and perhaps as many as 762.

At the same time, the trade publication Inside the Air Force (Sept. 13) quoting unnamed sources in the service and the F-22 program, reported that proponents of the aircraft were attempting to bolster its support on Capitol Hill by promising to deliver some of the earliest aircraft produced to the Air National Guard. Traditionally when new weapons enter service they are first delivered to active duty units, with the guard and reserve receiving them at a later date. According to the story, the unusual plan was being considered in order to persuade the Guard to use its considerable political influence on Capitol Hill to protect the F-22. The sources quoted indicated that the cancellation of the Army?s Crusader artillery program earlier in the year had made all the services nervous about the future of their highest priority programs.

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