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Honolulu Advertiser
March 5, 2007
By Staff Reports
The Air Force says it is fixing technological glitches in roughly 87 F-22A Raptor fighter jets after several aircraft computer systems were disabled after they flew out of Hawai'i.
The six stealth fighter jets — built by prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. and partner Boeing Co. — were participating in an inaugural 12-hour test flight from Hickam Air Force Base to Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa on Feb. 10 when a "navigation anomaly" maimed several computer systems on the aircraft, an Air Force colonel said.
It was the Raptor's first overseas deployment. The aircraft had flown from Langley Air Force Base, Va.
The Air Force plans to base 20 of the fighter aircraft at Hickam starting in late 2010.
The Raptors can reach supersonic speed without afterburners, are highly maneuverable and are practically invisible to radars.
The Hawai'i Air National Guard will be the first Guard unit to "own" the Air Force's most advanced weapons system, while the active duty Air Force at Hickam will be an associate unit and also fly and maintain the aircraft.
The computer glitch on the Japan-bound Raptors, which occurred as aircraft crossed the International Date Line, crippled navigation systems and hindered communications.
Since then, the Air Force has provided more details about the incident.
One pilot was able to contact contractor Lockheed Martin to troubleshoot the error during the flight, the Air Force said.
Several pilots attempted to reboot the system with no success and returned to Hickam with the help of aerial refueling tankers as a safety precaution.
Engineers were able to find the problem within hours and fixed the glitch in a matter of days on the aircraft, according to the Air Force.
Lockheed Martin declined to provide further comment on additional costs of the upgrades.
It is common for pilots to experience operational problems during initial deployments, said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Virginia-based Lexington Institute.
A senior Air Force officer said there are no plans to conduct further testing on the F-22 Raptor.
Col. Tom Bergeson, operations group commander at the 1st Fighter Wing, told reporters on a conference call from Langley Air Force Base that "Until you really fly the airplane and do something, that's when the rubber hits the road."
The Raptor, originally intended to fight the now-defunct Soviet Union, is the world's most expensive fighter jet to date, with a cost of about $120 million per plane, or $361 million per plane when development costs are added.
Initial plans called for 750, but only 183 are now slated to be built.
Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed is responsible for the majority of the airframe, weapons systems and final assembly, while partner Chicago-based Boeing is tasked with providing the aircraft with wings, fuselage, avionics integration and training for pilots and maintenance.
--News Services
March 5, 2007
By Staff Reports
The Air Force says it is fixing technological glitches in roughly 87 F-22A Raptor fighter jets after several aircraft computer systems were disabled after they flew out of Hawai'i.
The six stealth fighter jets — built by prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. and partner Boeing Co. — were participating in an inaugural 12-hour test flight from Hickam Air Force Base to Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa on Feb. 10 when a "navigation anomaly" maimed several computer systems on the aircraft, an Air Force colonel said.
It was the Raptor's first overseas deployment. The aircraft had flown from Langley Air Force Base, Va.
The Air Force plans to base 20 of the fighter aircraft at Hickam starting in late 2010.
The Raptors can reach supersonic speed without afterburners, are highly maneuverable and are practically invisible to radars.
The Hawai'i Air National Guard will be the first Guard unit to "own" the Air Force's most advanced weapons system, while the active duty Air Force at Hickam will be an associate unit and also fly and maintain the aircraft.
The computer glitch on the Japan-bound Raptors, which occurred as aircraft crossed the International Date Line, crippled navigation systems and hindered communications.
Since then, the Air Force has provided more details about the incident.
One pilot was able to contact contractor Lockheed Martin to troubleshoot the error during the flight, the Air Force said.
Several pilots attempted to reboot the system with no success and returned to Hickam with the help of aerial refueling tankers as a safety precaution.
Engineers were able to find the problem within hours and fixed the glitch in a matter of days on the aircraft, according to the Air Force.
Lockheed Martin declined to provide further comment on additional costs of the upgrades.
It is common for pilots to experience operational problems during initial deployments, said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Virginia-based Lexington Institute.
A senior Air Force officer said there are no plans to conduct further testing on the F-22 Raptor.
Col. Tom Bergeson, operations group commander at the 1st Fighter Wing, told reporters on a conference call from Langley Air Force Base that "Until you really fly the airplane and do something, that's when the rubber hits the road."
The Raptor, originally intended to fight the now-defunct Soviet Union, is the world's most expensive fighter jet to date, with a cost of about $120 million per plane, or $361 million per plane when development costs are added.
Initial plans called for 750, but only 183 are now slated to be built.
Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed is responsible for the majority of the airframe, weapons systems and final assembly, while partner Chicago-based Boeing is tasked with providing the aircraft with wings, fuselage, avionics integration and training for pilots and maintenance.
--News Services