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5 new F/A-22 Raptors land at base
miami.com ^

Posted on 01/08/2005 5:48:14 PM PST by iso

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE -- (AP) -- Five more F/A-22 Raptors landed Friday at this Florida Panhandle base where Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, is among the first pilots being trained to fly the new stealth fighter.

The five Raptors arrived from the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. plant in Marietta, Ga., a day after all F/A-22s were cleared to resume flying for the first time since a Dec. 20 crash at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

The additional planes increased the number of Raptors at Tyndall to 18, more than half of the 33 now in the Air Force inventory. A 34th plane had been scheduled to arrive but its flight was postponed due to mechanical problems, said Capt. Susan A. Romano, a Tyndall spokeswoman.

Jumper is scheduled to make his final F/A-22 qualification flight here Wednesday.

The planes were grounded as a precaution after the Nellis crash. Safety and accident investigation boards have not disclosed a cause, but Air Force officials said they were confident the jets could be flown safely based on preliminary findings. The pilot suffered scrapes but was otherwise unharmed.

Eight F/A-22s are stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and seven at Nellis for testing and evaluation. All pilot training is done at Tyndall. Langley Air Force Base, Va., is expected to receive the first operational Raptors this year.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Georgia; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: clubbingbabyseals; fa22raptors; langleyafb; tyndallafb; usaf
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To: El Gato
Okay. Bad analogy. But it gets the job done, eh?

I guess the question is, would you like to be a target from an A10?

101 posted on 01/08/2005 8:04:43 PM PST by Cobra64 (Babes should wear Bullet Bras - www.BulletBras.net)
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To: Aeronaut

Ping


102 posted on 01/08/2005 8:05:10 PM PST by Dashing Dasher (Because I fly, I envy no (wo)man on earth. - Anon)
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To: Cobra64
As I'm 55 years old though the B-52 has a different perspective, since still active for almost 60 years.

I'm also 55, but am well beyond a "mid life upgrade" which the BUFF is now undergoing. It will fly for at least another 20-25 years, which is about as long as we are likely to last. It came on board when we were toddlers and it will go out about the same time we do. :)

103 posted on 01/08/2005 8:07:15 PM PST by El Gato (Activist Judges can twist the Constitution into anything they want ... or so they think.)
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To: El Gato

"Only the Marine and Brit (and maybe some other exports) versions. The Navy will have a carrier capable version, but it will use cats and arresting wires. The Air Force version will be strictly CTOL."

Roger that. Thanks. I assumed the Navy would stick to the hook regardless if it was totally VTO. Never thought about the Airforce specs.. Obviously they don't need a hook.


104 posted on 01/08/2005 8:08:19 PM PST by Marine_Uncle
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To: iso
Not long after he got home from WWII, my Father went to work at Tyndall. He had worked at the shipyard in PC before he was drafted.

I used to go down to the flightline and watch the P-51's and later F-80's take off and land. He got layed off around 1954 as did a large number of civilian employees. Daddy always hated Eisenhower after that.

A few years later he got back on at Eglin and stayed there until he retired. Eglin was an even better base for a kid to visit. I spent many nights roaming around the King Hangar, (Daddy knew all the AP's).

105 posted on 01/08/2005 8:08:21 PM PST by yarddog
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To: Gunslingr3
All the bases along the coast train out over the Gulf, unless they're dropping stuff on Eglin. Locals are understanding about the bombs on the range, but prefer the window rattling sonic booms are done over the Gulf. :)

Actually some of the MOAs associated with Tyndall are over land. They are used mainly for refueling, but also for some of the contractor operated twin turboprops used to train the Air Weapons controllers at the schoolhouse for that, which is also at Tyndall.

106 posted on 01/08/2005 8:10:10 PM PST by El Gato (Activist Judges can twist the Constitution into anything they want ... or so they think.)
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To: Marine_Uncle

I still hate to see the A-10 go away. Can't imagine the JSF/F-35 taking as much battle damage as the A-10. I don't have the confidence in the JSF yet, largley due to the lack of reasearch on my part. Want to know more about it's payload etc....


107 posted on 01/08/2005 8:11:08 PM PST by ProudVet77 (If it's Saturday, I'm sailing!)
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To: pbrown

My personal favorite too.


108 posted on 01/08/2005 8:12:26 PM PST by Gunrunner2
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To: Gunslingr3
It offers the pilot alot more protection than a Hummer offers it's driver. Maybe the M-1 is a better comparison... :)

It's not quite that solid, but it bites like an M-1. :)

109 posted on 01/08/2005 8:12:36 PM PST by El Gato (Activist Judges can twist the Constitution into anything they want ... or so they think.)
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To: Cobra64
I guess the question is, would you like to be a target from an A10?

Nope, I've seen the engineering film of an A-10 shooting up a tank. I also have met many of the folks who designed and built the Laser Guided Bombs which the A-10 uses for "tank plinking".

110 posted on 01/08/2005 8:15:55 PM PST by El Gato (Activist Judges can twist the Constitution into anything they want ... or so they think.)
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To: jackbill
No. Gates took the place of flight time. So many months of flying time within a certain amount of years and you receive flight pay for so many years after that. Aircraft are too complex to fly part-time like in the "old days."
111 posted on 01/08/2005 8:15:57 PM PST by Gunrunner2
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To: Raffus

And don't forget Boeing gets 32% of the work share building the jet. (LM gets 35%).


112 posted on 01/08/2005 8:18:04 PM PST by Gunrunner2
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To: Marine_Uncle
Never thought about the Airforce specs.. Obviously they don't need a hook.

Air Force aircraft have hooks, just a little lighter than the Navy/Marine ones. Undercarriage is much lighter as well. Compare F-16's gear to that of an F/A-18. The hooks are for engaging the emergency arresting gear at the end of the runway, the departure end, where a landing aircraft, even one with failed brakes, will have slowed considerably.

113 posted on 01/08/2005 8:19:30 PM PST by El Gato (Activist Judges can twist the Constitution into anything they want ... or so they think.)
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To: Cobra64
If your F-16/A-10 analogy is comparing speeds. . .that is okay. . .however, when it comes to firepower, comparing the F-16 to an A-10 is like comparing a pop-gun and a couple of fire-crackers with an elephant gun and sticks of TNT.
114 posted on 01/08/2005 8:23:16 PM PST by Gunrunner2
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To: ProudVet77
Indeed, the A-10 had about an 80% survival rate when taking hits, whereas the F-16 had about a 20% survival rate (based upon Gulf War I numbers).
115 posted on 01/08/2005 8:25:37 PM PST by Gunrunner2
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To: ProudVet77
NO!!!! Don't tell me that. They earned my respect in Desert Strom, they proved themselves to be invaluable in air to ground cover.

Damn

116 posted on 01/08/2005 8:26:16 PM PST by processing please hold (Islam and Christianity do not mix ----9-11 taught us that)
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To: El Gato

And I've shot the gun and been on the ground calling in air strikes in Gulf War I, and let me tell you how I describe the gun; it is the Fist of God. One punch and you are gone.


117 posted on 01/08/2005 8:27:20 PM PST by Gunrunner2
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To: ProudVet77

"I still hate to see the A-10 go away. Can't imagine the JSF/F-35 taking as much battle damage as the A-10. I don't have the confidence in the JSF yet, largley due to the lack of reasearch on my part. Want to know more about it's payload etc...."

I don't think the intention is for a JSF air superiority fighter to have to take the type of punishment a Warthog could take.It will be very very stealthy. I don't know much about it other then two documentaries on it last year or so. I assume one could do searches at google etc., and come up with a somewhat realistitic idea as to what to expect.
My brain is getting so bad that I cannot even remember which two companies did the initial model up work.
As for the F22. Who knows what the Ruskies and ChiComs may come up with in the next ten years. I am one not to get cocky anymore concerning our jets verse theirs. We may maintian a lead in super sophisticated avionitic packages, due to our years of experience, but we must be realistic, they are quickly catching up in things like Integrated Circuit Design and fabrication techniques. Once they either steal and or gain a generation worth of new designs they are going to be a lot of trouble. There are a lot of very bright Chinese scientist and engineers. Just to damn much shared technologies now adays.....the smart can gain a generation of new weapon systems if their carefull without putting in the kinds of R&D used to be required.


118 posted on 01/08/2005 8:29:01 PM PST by Marine_Uncle
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To: pbrown; Gunrunner2

This is one of the reasons I want the Army to take over the A-10. How many A-10s can you buy for the cost of 1 JSF? Also want them to take of the Spectre aircraft as well. It's absurd to prevent the Army from having fixed wing aircraft.


119 posted on 01/08/2005 8:31:40 PM PST by ProudVet77 (If it's Saturday, I'm sailing!)
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To: Gunrunner2
I live near an army base. When they fly over I almost break my neck getting outside to have a look see.

They are the ugliest most beautiful thing flying IMHO. Hell even their name WartHog...but, it's very fitting.

It just exudes power.

120 posted on 01/08/2005 8:32:14 PM PST by processing please hold (Islam and Christianity do not mix ----9-11 taught us that)
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