Posted on 10/13/2018 5:40:05 PM PDT by Snickering Hound
Sitting in the ruined airplane hangars of Tyndall Air Force Base, which was shredded on Wednesday when Hurricane Michael swept across the Florida Panhandle, may be some of the Air Force’s most advanced — and most expensive — stealth fighter jets.
Tyndall is home to 55 F-22 stealth fighters, which cost a dizzying $339 million each. Before the storm, the Air Force sent at least 33 of the fighters to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
Air Force officials have not disclosed the whereabouts of the remaining 22 planes, other than to say that a number of aircraft were left at the base because of maintenance or safety reasons.
An Air Force spokeswoman, Maj. Malinda Singleton, would not confirm that any of the aircraft left behind were F-22s.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
There are always a few airplanes in a unit that are hard down for maintenance. Inspections, reworks, etc. can take an airplane out of service for extended periods. In my old Marine F/A-18 squadron having 8 out of 12 jets up at any given time was considered exceptional. I don’t think there is a helicopter big enough to sling an intact F22.
Only really had 2 days when it turned real bad from just annoying....don’t have a clue about what sort of parts/equipment stocks are kept on hand for maintenance...
Not True.The C-17 replaced the C-141 Star Lifter of the Vietnam era.The C-5 is still in the Air Force inventory.
All the flyable F-22s were evacuated. From better reports I have read only four or five F-22s had to be left behind due to their condition.
Some people here think this is some kind of conspiracy, it is not.
First, The Air Force, like all the other Services, has a terrible budget shortage while the OPTEMP keeps rising. Like all the Services their equipment is just plain used up and there has been little money to fix or buy new.
Second. I have read posts here about just taking the wings off and trucking them out. These aircraft are not old WWII style airplanes. You can't just remove a couple bolts and cart the wings off the plane. It takes way too many hours of effort and many people to remove the wings for transport and then it would still be nearly impossible to get them on a truck.
Third. This was not a conspiracy nor was it incompetence. Hurricane Michael developed in just a couple days and then streaked up the Gulf. There was not enough time to disassemble the Hanger Queens and get transportation for them. All the bases have contingency plans but those plans cannot account for every possible iteration, also they must take into account budget and personnel constraints.
Your assessment seems right on to me. It’s just too bad that Tyndall took the hit it did. I was surprised though that they moved the F-22’s to Wright-Pat. I would have thought they would have been closer to home, but I guess it was the only AFB that was outside the cone of Michael’s path.
Hopefully, they will spend the money to rebuild and modernize Tyndall. As a former ground-pounder I hate to see any branch of the military not receive the funds needed to accomplish the mission.
The USAF has only been based at Tyndall for 77 years. And the USAF obviously is too stupid to figure out in a mere 77 years of living on the Redneck Riviera that when a hurricane approaches, you need to move your aircraft (and other susceptible equipment) to some place not in the storm’s path.
Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid
than to open it and remove all doubt.
I wonder if you could put someone in the cockpit to ‘fly it’ slung?
United States Air Force C-5 in flight
Role
Strategic airlifter
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
Lockheed Corporation
Lockheed Martin
First flight
30 June 1968[1]
Introduction
June 1970
Status
In service
Primary user
United States Air Force
Produced
C-5A: 1968–1973
C-5B: 1985–1989
Number built
131 (C-5A: 81, C-5B: 50)
Unit cost
C-5A: US$224.29 million (2016)[2]
C-5B: US$262.75 million (2016)[2]
C-5C: US$129.17 million (2016)[2]
C-5M: US$100.37 million (2016)[2]
The C-5 Galaxy’s development was complicated, including significant cost overruns, and Lockheed suffered significant financial difficulties. Shortly after entering service, cracks in the wings of many aircraft were discovered and the C-5 fleet was restricted in capability until corrective work was completed. The C-5M Super Galaxy is an upgraded version with new engines and modernized avionics designed to extend its service life beyond 2040.
The USAF has operated the C-5 since 1969. In that time, the airlifter supported US military operations in all major conflicts including Vietnam, Iraq, Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan, as well as allied support, such as Israel during the Yom Kippur War and operations in the Gulf War. The Galaxy has also been used to distribute humanitarian aid and disaster relief, and supported the US Space Shuttle program.
I saw an interview this afternoon with Senator Nelson. They were at what is left of Tyndall. He said all the older WWII era buildings were destroyed. The newer ones were damaged but can be repaired.
They will rebuild every thing. They have cleared the runway and a large transport had just landed.
OK, thanks for the explanation. In 20-20 hindsight losing a bunch of rare F22s, it seems like they could find something to do over Nevada, Arizona, and Utah and not risk being decimated by natural forces. But what do I know? Water makes sense, but look at the price we just paid.
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