Posted on 04/13/2006 3:33:20 PM PDT by MARKUSPRIME
LAKELAND - Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Shower came home to his high school stomping grounds Friday in the ultimate flying machine, an F-22 Raptor.
As a crowd of Sun 'n Fun Fly-In visitors oohed and aahed over America's next-generation fighter jet, the graduate of Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland said, "You feel kind of like a rock star or something." "It's a big deal for the Air Force. This is the first time out of the nest" for the Raptor, Shower said.
It gives civilians a chance to see "you've got a phenomenal airplane. You have bought an amazing machine with your taxpayer dollars."
Developed since the late 1980s, the planes replace the F-15 fighter with an unprecedented combination of stealth, supercruise, maneuverability and integrated avionics. Raptors give the United States air supremacy, not only superiority, said Air Force Maj. Jack Miller, a spokesman for Shower and Tolliver's squadron at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Va.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.tbo.com ...
We need 2500 pronto. There's a lot of "bombing into the stone age" that needs to be carried out.
Here's a heads up !! One Day Only ,August 23rd FREE airshow in Atlantic City New Jersey . Right along the beach . Bring your chair and choice of beverage and soak your feet in the Atlantic Ocean while you smell the kerosine fumes .
AND ----
BOTH the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels will be featured.
I imagine the F-22 will be there but they haven't released a listing of planes as of this date .
I've talked to an F-15 pilot who's gone up against the F-22 numerous times. The F-15's never see them or hear anything until the F-22's call their shots. It's no contest. I can only imagine how other fighters would fare against them.
There's a saying in the fighter community. Migs were born to die. Looks like the Raptor will make a fine executioner.
The last exercise with F-15/F-22, only 4 F-22's shot down 33 F-15's with no losses. I'll look for the article and post it when I find it.
Why Raptor? At one time I thought they were going to call it the Lightning II. Never did hear any rationale for the change.
Lightning was cool.
I love America's stuff.
And everyone who contributes to the amazing results.
ping
If they see you before you see them in modern air combat, you are going to die.
Sounds like an appropriate name for the F-22.
the same could be said of rappers.
Its a Jane's article and I can post it because I'm not a subscriber. Its was also 8 F-22 vs 33 F-15 not 4 my mistake.I found the quote from the pilot on wikipedia here it is scroll down to near the end to see it.
In early 2006, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Hecker, commander of the 27th Fighter Squadron (FS) at Langley commented to Jane's Defence Weekly (18th jan. 2006) that:
"We killed 33 F-15Cs and didn't suffer a single loss," he said. "They didn't see us at all." after an exercise with 8 F-22's in Nevada in Nov. 2005.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-22
can=cant
Typo master =/
F-22 Bump
To quote the Air Force recruiting poster:
"Americas Air Force - No One Even Comes Close."
Simple, true and understated.
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