The Lockheed Martin-led F/A-22 Raptor air dominance fighter team has delivered its first aircraft -- Raptor 4012 -- to the U.S. Air Force's Air Warfare Center (AWFC) with the recent signing of formal acceptance documents by government officials. The aircraft will soon be flown to AWFC's 422nd Test & Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas (NV).

"Lockheed Martin is proud to deliver the first of several F/A-22 Raptors for use by the Air Warfare Center," said Ralph Heath, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company executive vice president and F/A-22 program general manager. This delivery also marks the first F/A-22 delivery to Air Combat Command, the lead command for continental U.S.-based fighter, bomber and UAV aircraft operated by the Air Force.

At Nellis, Raptor 12 -- the twelfth F/A-22 built -- will be used initially to teach Operational Test pilots and maintenance personnel how to safely and effectively fly and repair the aircraft. Eventually, AWFC pilots will use Raptor 12 (Air Force serial number 00-012) and the other seven F/A-22s assigned to the unit to develop the tactics, techniques and procedures for the entire Combat Air Forces (CAF). In addition, these aircraft will be used to train the initial cadre of Air Education and Training Command instructor pilots stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base (FL).

The F/A-22 Raptor is built by Lockheed Martin in partnership with Boeing, powered by Pratt & Whitney engines, and made from parts and subsystems provided by approximately 1,200 subcontractors and suppliers in 46 states. Principal aircraft production activities take place at Lockheed Martin facilities in Marietta (GA), Fort Worth (TX), and Palmdale (CA), as well as at Boeing's plant in Seattle (WA). The engines are built by Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford (CT).

Final assembly and initial flight testing of the Raptor occurs at the Marietta factory, production headquarters for the F/A-22 program's contractor team. The Raptor's low-observable control surface edges, antennas and radomes are built in Palmdale, while its mid-fuselage is built in Fort Worth. Boeing builds the aircraft's aft-fuselage and wings, while Lockheed Martin is the program's principal systems integrator.

The Raptor, scheduled to become operational in 2005, has unprecedented fighter and attack capabilities with its balanced design of stealth, supercruise speed and extreme agility, along with advanced integrated avionics and the pilot-friendly cockpit. These attributes make the Raptor truly transformational and will support the goal of quick, decisive victory in future conflicts, saving American and allied lives.

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com; www.lmaeronautics.com; www.fa22raptor.com