Tue, Sep 06, 2005
Chalk One Up For The Raptor
One of the US military's newest and most advanced fighter jets,
the F/A-22 Raptor, successfully deployed a Joint Direct Attack
Munitions (JDAM) bomb last week on the Utah Test and Training
Range.
The JDAM release, conducted by members of the 422nd Test and
Evaluation Squadron based at Nellis AFB in Nevada, was the first
part of one of the Raptor's largest test phases to date. The
Follow-On Operational Test and Evaluation mission is designed to
validate air-to-ground capabilities of the advanced fighter.
“This test is the culmination of a tremendous effort by
numerous organizations and will serve to provide Air Combat Command
the best information possible on the air-to-ground capabilities of
this aircraft,” said Col. Matt Black, Air Force Operational
Test and Evaluation Detachment 6 commander.
Detachment 6 is the overall agency performing the evaluation
flights of the Raptor, to be divided into three key areas. The Utah
JDAM release flights are one area, while a second calls for firing
live AIM-120 air-to-air missiles at the White Sands Missile Range
near Alamogordo, NM.
The third part of the test program is a full mission-level
evaluation, combining elements from the first two test areas, to be
conducted on the Nevada Test and Training Range. The testing is
scheduled to last through late fall.
The extensive evaluation program is seen as necessary to ensure
that the stealthy F/A-22 will be able to replace older fighters in
multiple roles throughout the military. Once deployed in combat
operations, the Raptor will be called on to perform both air-to-air
combat missions, as well as ground-support duties.
Once the evaluation program is completed, the Air Force's Air
Combat Command will decide if the Raptor will progress to its first
Initial Operational Capability squadron deployment at Langley AFB,
VA.
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