War Mechanic

Marietta GA (SPX) Dec 15, 2005 Lockheed Martin's F-22A Raptor, the world's only 5th generation fighter aircraft, surpassed a monumental milestone Thursday when the United States Air Force declared that the Raptor has reached initial operational capability. General Ronald E. Keys, Commander of Air Combat Command, made the historic announcement at Langley Air Force Base, Va., from a Raptor hangar near his headquarters. "The F-22A fulfills a long quest to bring 5th generation capabilities of stealth, supercruise, and precision to the warfighter today and for decades to come," said General Keys in an Air Force news release. "If we go to war tomorrow, the Raptor will go with us." The Air Force is now capable of deploying and supporting 12 F-22A Raptor aircraft anywhere in the world to execute air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The Raptor is also qualified to perform homeland defense missions when required. "It's another great day for ou...

[4] Air Marshal Angus Houston, chief of the Australian Defence Force, and former head of the Royal Australian Air Force, said in 2004 that the "F-22 will be the most outstanding fighter plane ever built. The United States Air Force considers the F-22 a critical component of the US strike force. [4] Faced with a protracted development period, the aircraft was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 during the three years before formally entering US Air Force service in December 2005, as the F-22A. The US Air Force claims that the F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft. The F-22 Raptor is an American fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is the prime contractor and is responsible for the majority of the airframe, weapon systems and final assembly of the F-22. Along with Lockheed Martin, partner Boeing Integrated Defense Systems provides the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and all of the pilot and maintenance tra...

Tracing its roots to Manfred Freiherr von Richthfen and his famous 'Flying Circus' of World War 1, the Jagdgeschwader 'Richthofen' is arguably the most famous fighter unit of all time. Designated JG 1 during the Great War, when disbanded following Germany's defeat, the Jagdgeschwader reformed as JG 132 in 1935 with Arado and Heinkel biplanes. By September 1939 the unit had become JG2, and it went on to see much action during Blitzkrieg in Wester Europe and the Battle of Britain wich followed. Technorati : Jagdgeschwader 2 , Richthofen