Lockheed Martin rolled out the first F-22A stealth fighter destined for Pacific Air Forces on Monday. Raptor #4087 will go to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, which expects to field its first squadron of 18 by January 2008. Attending a small rollout ceremony at Lockheed’s Marietta, Ga., production facility, Brig. Gen. Carlisle, commander of Elmendorf’s 3rd Wing, took note of the “great Americans” in uniform or blue jeans who build the F-22.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.