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| Raptor 11 First Flight |
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Chief Test Pilot Bret Luedke conducted the first flight of the first F/A-22 Production Representative Test Vehicle on 16 September 2002 from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Marietta, Georgia. Raptor 11 is one of eight PRTV aircraft – Raptors 10 through 17 – to be delivered to Nellis AFB, Nevada, in 2003 for operational testing and tactics development to ensure the F/A-22 meets the US Air Force’s warfighting needs. Lockheed Martin recently changed its F/A-22 manufacturing process to conduct first flights of each Raptor before final finishes are applied. This yellow sheen is the aircraft’s undercoat, a layer of primer applied to protect the jet’s structure from the elements and to prepare it for the application of the low observable topcoat that helps the F/A-22 elude radar detection. |
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