|
Assembly of the first operational F-22 Raptor fighter began in Fort Worth in March during a short ceremony attended by US Air Force officials from Tyndall AFB, Florida—a future home of this next-generation aircraft. “We’re pleased to begin this, the twentieth mid-fuselage we’ve built since the program began in 1991,” said Gary Keith, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company deputy program manager for the F-22. “We’ve learned how to build each assembly more quickly and more cost effectively.” During the ceremony, LM Aero mechanics began assembling the aircraft’s mid-fuselage, the largest and most complex structural component of the F-22. The mid-fuselage carries the weapons, much of the fuel, and a large number of major subcomponents, including the majority of the electrical, hydraulic, landing gear, and flight control systems.
Tyndall AFB is home to the Air Force 325th FW, the “schoolhouse” for future F-22 pilots to be trained to fly and fight. “The 325th FW looks forward to welcoming the F-22 to the Florida panhandle and to the prospect of training pilots and maintainers with the very best fighter aircraft in the world,” said Lt. Col. Leigh Hinkle, Chief of the F-22 Integration Office at the 325th. “The F-22 will launch a new era in air combat. We are excited about the future it will provide the US Air Force, and we are proud to integrate the Raptor into our mission and embrace the challenges that lie ahead.”
|
