F-22s Coming To A Show Near You

It works in car sales: dazzle the buyer with all the things that shiny new automobile can do, in hopes that'll sway him or her to sign on the dotted line. Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force hope a similar tactic will win public support for the hyper-impressive -- but uber-expensive -- F-22 Raptor program.

To that end, expect to see the advanced F-22 in the skies over larger air shows in the near future -- as both parties attempt to convince lawmakers, and their constituents, the Raptor program is worth its staggering $72 billion pricetag.

"The Air Force realizes it's very important that the Raptor demonstrations look different than any other flight profile we've ever done," said F-22 demo pilot Major Paul "Max" Moga to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "As I continuously develop the aerobatic maneuvers, I hope to add them one at a time, By the end of the year, I'll have a full aerobatic profile that will be much different from the [F-15] Eagle or [F-16] Viper."

Those moves include some which have only just recently been perfected -- and named. As Aero-News reported, crowds at AirVenture 2006 got a sneak peek at what the Raptor can do last year. Since then, Raptors have shown what they could do in simulated wargames in Alaska and Nevada... and pilots have grown more familiar with its abilities.

Hence, crowds can expect to see such maneuvers as the "Mongo flip," the "J-turn" and "The Cobra" -- in which the plane abruptly pitches up from level flight, far past vertical, and slows to about 80 miles an hour before lowering its nose and accelerating in level flight -- demonstrating the Raptor's incredible maneuverability, thanks to its vectored-thrust powerplant nozzles.

"Most of the maneuvers were developed for dogfighting," Moga said. "They just happen to look pretty neat and show off the plane's unique capabilities."

Many of those demonstrations will coincide with US Air Force events commemorating its 60th anniversary.

Both Lockheed and the USAF hope seeing the Raptor in action will convince taxpayers, and their elected officials, to support the admittedly expensive program... something that, unlike the Raptor's demonstrated tactical abilities, is a hit-or-miss proposition.

"A broad audience lets people see that the F-22 is an impressive achievement," said Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia. "It changes the debate. Politicians find it harder to portray the plane as public enemy No. 1. There could and should be serious discussions about how many to buy and at what cost. But getting the word out to large numbers of people is something of a defensive move because it makes it harder for politicians to grandstand against it."

FMI: www.af.mil, www.lockheedmartin.com