Air Combat Command has 15 specialists looking over the shoulders of the Lockheed Martin production crews working at Marietta, Ga., to turn out new F-22A Raptors. The ACC team inspects each aircraft at it’s being built, eliminating the need for a 30-day tear-down of each new Raptor after it’s delivered to the Air Force, reports Air Force journalist Josh Aycock. MSgt. Timothy Silkwood, Raptor Acceptance Team superintendent, explains that only the ACC team can OK work on 257 inspection areas and turn over a “pre-accepted aircraft.” The team estimates that its work will save the Air Force around $119 million.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
