The 1st Fighter Wing and Air National Guard’s 192nd Fighter Wing, which together operate two squadrons of F-22 stealth fighters at Langley AFB, Va., successfully flew through the Air Force’s first Total Force operational readiness inspection the week of April 21. They received an “excellent” rating by the Air Combat Command inspector general. “The F-22 performed superbly,” said Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Christopher Young, 1st Operations Group chief of standardization and evaluation. “They destroyed over 250 enemy aircraft and did not take a single loss.” More than 100 Guardsmen participated in the event and sat side by side with their active duty counterparts of the 1st FW, distinguishable only by their unit patches. This inspection was the first for the F-22 since the platform achieved full operational capability in December 2007. (Langley report by David Hopper)
Competitors Not Picked for CCA Look Forward to Increment 2
April 25, 2024
While none of the major aircraft contractors were selected to develop the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, all three say they are seeking further autonomous aircraft work for the Navy, foreign partners, or in the classified arena, and maybe future versions of the CCA itself.