The 309th Maintenance Group at Hill AFB, Utah, has begun a new task—depot maintenance for the F-22A Raptor. The first of up to 14 of the fighters scheduled for depot work landed at Hill recently to begin undergoing minor modifications. The Ogden Air Logistics Center has contracted to perform mods on 18 Raptors so far. Guy Phillips, the F-22 maintenance squadron director for the 309th says each fighter should spend 35 days at the base, as the ALC modifies the fighter to aid an aerial refueling boom operator’s ability to see the stealthy fighter’s fuel receptacle at night.
Air Force F-16 pilots are testing out new sensors that could help maximize their performance and avoid deadly accidents while flying fast fighter jets under heavy G-forces and stressful conditions.