RAF Flight Lieutenant Dan Robinson reverted to the wide-eyed wonderment of childhood during his first foray into the cockpit of a new F-22A Raptor at Langley AFB, Va., according to the Hampton Roads Daily Press. The RAF pilot arrived at the Air Combat Command base this month as the first allied pilot to train on the Raptor—a highly coveted exchange slot, according to Robinson, who normally flies an F-3 Tornado. At Langley, Robinson will be part of the 27th Fighter Squadron, undergoing the same training as every US Raptor pilot. He will get his first taste of what it’s like to fly the new stealth fighter at the F-22 schoolhouse at Tyndall AFB, Fla., where he will begin flight training next month. In July, as a fully trained Raptor pilot, Robinson will return to Langley for a three-year tour.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
