T
HE VISION FOR the F-22 as it
started entering service was
far di erent to the original
concept under the Advanced
Tactical Fighter plan. From an
original aspiration for some
750 aircraft, this dwindled to 195 Raptors
— just 187 for the USAF’s operational
inventory. The Quadrennial Defense
Review (QDR) of May 1997 had taken
procurement down to 339 (including
the eight Production Representative
Test Vehicles), but this further reduced
to 224 before, in December 2004, the
US Department of Defense moved to
cut total procurement to 180 aircraft.
The USAF fought hard for more aircraft,
but ultimately the tough US Defense
Secretary Robert Gates announced on
April 6, 2009, that production was to be
terminated.Ironically, this came as the F-22’s true
potential was being realised. Pilot training
at Tyndall AFB, Florida, by the 43rd Fighter
Squadron, had commenced in 2003, and
the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley
achieved Initial Operating Capability
on December 15, 2005. Full operational
capability came just two years later on
December 12, 2007, as the 1st Fighter Wing
was declared ready for combat.
It was a bittersweet time for the F-22
community. The aircraft undoubtedly lost
out on funding to the F-35 programme, but
it was also a victim of negative headlines
— it had cost a fortune, but ironically, with
most of the money spent, the US DoD
wasted all that good work for a relatively
tiny eet of aircraft.
In addition, everyone began to fully
appreciate the capabilities of this jet. The
EMD phase had been shrouded in secrecy,With the Engineering
and Manufacturing
Development phase
complete, the USAF was
already into operational
testing, with an elite band
established to help realise
the F-22’s potential.(^28) RAPTOR
f-22 raptor OPERATIONAL TEST
28-37 Niemi and Service C.indd 28 28/09/2017 16:56