Airmen undergoing F-22A Raptor maintenance training now will be using their own dedicated stealth fighter for training instead of “borrowing” an operational Raptor. The Air Force delivered an F-22A that had been used as a test aircraft to the F-22 schoolhouse at Tyndall AFB, Fla., where it will serve as a ground instructional trainer aircraft. First, though, Tyndall must reconfigure the fighter from its test condition, removing special sensors, connectors, and wire bundles—anything that would hamper training to work on production aircraft.
The design of the launch facilities for the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile are likely to undergo major revision, posing yet another challenge for the much-delayed and over-budget program to modernize the land-based component of America’s nuclear triad, officials said.