Aviation Specials — F-22 Raptor (2017)

being developed by Boeing in Seattle.

For our simulator training, I think we

got a couple of hours total, we  ew the

‘Iron Bird’ simulator that was designed

to test hardware like hydraulic actuators

and generators in Fort Worth. Our initial

check rides were administered by test

pilots. We did the tactical upgrades by

supervising each other. I remember  ying

in the backseat of an F-15D in a BFM [basic

 ghter manoeuvres]  ght to write a grade

sheet on the now Brig Gen Charles ‘Corky’

Corcoran one morning, and swapping

cockpits in the afternoon so he could write

the same grade sheet on me when it was

my turn to  y the F-22. Unorthodox for

sure, but there was no alternative since we

were the  rst pilots to ever  y the F-22 in a

dynamic tactical environment — nobody

had  own the jet beyond controlled

developmental test pro les!’

Niemi and his fellow pilots were

operating under Detachment 6, Air

Force Flight Test Center. They were not

developing tactics — that was left for the

operational test team at the 422nd Test

and Evaluation Squadron (TES) at Nellis.

Detachment 6 was at Edwards and  ying

both the EMD jets and some initial PRTV

aircraft purely to take an early look at how

the Raptor performed in an operational

environment and enable a decision on

high-rate production.

‘We had an initial tactics manual, but it

wasn’t really that useful,’ says Col Niemi.

‘It had been written by o cers on the

sta who had never  own the F-22. We

largely developed the tactics through trial

and error with access to the best threat

replication tools available on the Nevada

Test and Training Range (NTTR). We’d get

together in the o cers’ club bar at Edwards

on a Friday night and debate what had

worked, what might work, and then try out

new ideas the following week in the open

air environment. We had a fair amount of

‘PARTICIPATING

IN THE F22

DIOT&E

PROGRAMME WAS

PROBABLY THE

HIGHLIGHT OF MY

ENTIRE 24YEAR

CAREER’

COL CHRIS NIEMI

freedom to experiment; I think the USAF

senior leaders of the time understood that

there was much we didn’t know about

optimising the F-22 in combat scenarios.

Some of our ideas turned out to be bunk,

but others formed the basis for the tactics

we still use today throughout the F-22

community. I’m proud to see those stand

the test of time.’

INTO SERVICE

While it is understood that while DIOT&E

was largely successful and clearly hugely

in uential on the way the Raptor was

to be employed, it threw up a number

of areas of concern. This led to a further

round of operational testing, this time the

Follow-On Test and Evaluation (FOT&E) at

Nellis AFB in late 2005. It was a mandated

Above left to

right: Col Chris

Niemi was one

of the pilots

who initially

assessed the

operational

suitability of the

F-22.

Jamie Hunter

A 422nd TES

F-22A pilot at

Nellis AFB in

2005.

Jamie Hunter

DIOT&E gave

pilots access to

the full range

of threats

o ered by the

Nevada Test and

Training Range

(NTTR).

Jamie Hunter

A 422nd TES

F-22 soars

skyward.

Jamie Hunter

A 422nd TES

F-22A tucks

its gear as

the F119

engines

power it out

of Nellis.

Jamie

Hunter

(^32) RAPTOR
28-37 Niemi and Service C.indd 32 28/09/2017 14:51