The Raptor formally arrived at its third operational base in ceremonies at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, on 6 June. A pair of F-22s, the new flagships for the 49th Fighter Wing and the 7th Fighter Squadron, respectively, symbolically stood at attention flanking the guest speakers at the ceremony. The aircraft are the first of approximately forty F-22s that will eventually be assigned to Holloman.
Speaking to the crowd of more than 400 wing members, local community leaders, and two Tuskegee Airmen, then-Air Force Chief of Staff General T. Michael Moseley, a former 49th FW commander, noted the significance of the day: “Imagine what it looked like at Normandy on 6 June 1944. Now imagine what it would have looked like if 8th and 9th Air Force didn’t have control of the airspace. This nation needs a cutting-edge Air Force that has the best technology available. These aircraft represent so much—the ability to deter, dissuade, and, if necessary, win the fight. They provide global power. This is truly a special day for the Air Force, the 49th Fighter Wing, 12th Air Force, Holloman, and Alamogordo.”
New Mexico’s senior senator, Pete Dominici, echoed Moseley’s remarks, noting that all five members of the state’s congressional delegation were present at the ceremony, which he said does not happen very often. “That shows how important this milestone is.”
Indeed, the city of Alamogordo, which has a reputation as one of the most supportive communities of the military, eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Raptor. Banners were hung from light poles, and local businesses had welcoming messages on their changeable signs. “The people of this community never give up,” Dominici noted. “They are always concerned about what Holloman needs.”
Lockheed Martin hosted a dinner for members of the wing and the community leaders at the huge Mesa Verde Ranch just outside the base to cap the day’s activities. As the sun set, Maj. Paul Moga, the F-22 Demonstration Team pilot, flew his airshow routine for an estimated crowd of more than 3,000 Tularosa Basin residents lining a nearby road to watch. TSgt. Jason Schmidt’s narration of the demonstration was broadcast live over a local radio station.
The first two Holloman Raptors, Air Force serial numbers 05-4088 and 05-4106, were flown to the base four days earlier by Col. Jeff Harrigian, the 49th FW commander, and Lt. Col. Mike Hernandez, the 7th FS commander. The Raptors are currently being used to train maintenance and ground support and to support standup of the 7th FS. Known as the Screamin’ Demons, the 7th FS will be the first of two active duty and one Air Force Reserve Command Associate squadrons assigned to the base near Alamogordo. Additional aircraft deliveries to Holloman are scheduled to begin by early 2009.
The 7th FS was activated in January 1941. The squadron saw combat service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. The Screamin’ Demons will be followed at Holloman next year by the Black Sheep of the 8th Fighter Squadron, whose history mostly mirrors that of the 7th FS. Both squadrons recently flew the F-117 Nighthawk. The 7th FS, which served as the training squadron for Nighthawk pilots, was deactivated in 2006. The 8th FS, one of two operational F-117 squadrons, flew the F-117 until it was retired in April 2008.
Air Force Reserve Command will re-form the 301st Fighter Squadron at Holloman as a Reserve Associate unit, flying and maintaining the F-22s alongside their active duty counterparts. The 301st, until recently an F-16 training unit at Luke AFB, Arizona, traces its lineage to the famed Tuskegee Airmen in World War II.
The F-22 is an important part of the Air Force’s Total Force Initiative. The 301st FS joins the other two Total Force F-22 units: the Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Squadron, which is an Associate unit with the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, Virginia, and the 302nd Fighter Squadron, a Reserve Associate unit with the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.
The Air Force announced in March 2006 that Raptors would be based at Holloman. The sprawling base, which covers nearly 60,000 acres, was established in 1942 as a training base for more than twenty different bomber groups. Post-war, the base became the Air Force’s primary site for research development and testing of pilotless aircraft, guided missiles, and other weapons research. The 49th FW moved there in 1968. The F-117 was assigned to the wing in 1992.
To prepare for the Raptor, Holloman plans to invest more than $25 million over the next few years for five new military construction projects at the base. These new facilities will support maintenance, simulation, and operations. The base currently has a weapons and tactics trainer and is expected to get two full mission simulators as well.
Additional aircraft deliveries to Holloman are scheduled to begin by early next year. The 49th Fighter Wing is expected to be operational with the F-22 in November 2009.
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