The Air Force’s final F-22 Raptor—tail No. 4195—conducts its first test flight in Marietta, Ga., flown by company test pilot Bret Luedke. No. 4195 is the last of 187 production F-22s. Lockheed delivered 4195 to USAF on May 2, 2012.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.