The F-22 fleet remains grounded six weeks after Air Combat Command initiated a safety stand-down following reports of potential malfunctions with the aircraft’s onboard oxygen-generation system. ACC spokeswoman Capt. Jennifer Ferrau told the Daily Report Thursday that the ongoing investigation has expanded beyond the OBOGS system, which provides a pilot with breathable air in flight so he will not blackout. Investigators also are looking at other F-22 systems and comparing them to those on other platforms, such as the A-10, F-15E, F-16, F-35, and T-6. “The other aircraft that are being looked at have not had the same issues that led to the F-22 stand-down and subsequent investigation. However, the OBOGS is a relatively new technological application; as such, we want to open the aperture and determine if anything that we see in the F-22 has safety implications that could affect the other fleets,” stated Ferrau.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
