F-22 HOMEPAGE
F-22 BOEING HOMEPAGE
The first production F-22 air dominance fighter aircraft for the U. S. Air Force was unveiled in preparation for its first flight . The rollout ceremony was hosted by the F-22 contractor team --
Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney.
Speakers at the ceremony included U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA); Air Force
Secretary Sheila Widnall; U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-GA), U.S. Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA) and U.S Rep. Bob Barr
(R-GA); Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald Fogleman; President of the International Association of Machinists and
Aerospace Workers George Kourpias; and Lockheed Martin Chairman Norman Augustine.
Gen. Richard Hawley, commander of the Air Force�s Air Combat Command -- the ultimate user of the F-22,
announced the popular name for the next-generation fighter -- Raptor. �This is the day we officially name a remarkable
� in fact a revolutionary � new multi-mission fighter,� said General Hawley in a videotaped statement.
The aircraft displayed at the rollout is the first of nine flyable F-22As to be built under the current Engineering and
Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract. The contract also calls for two additional airframes to be built for
ground-based static and fatigue testing.
�Rollout is an opportunity for the men and women and the families who have dedicated so much to F-22 to see the first
fruits of the labors,� said Brig. Gen. Mike Mushala, U.S. Air Force F-22 System Program Office director. �The next
exciting step is the return to flight next months.�
"The team has worked hard to bring Ship 1 to this point," agreed Tom Burbage, F-22 Team Program Office General
Manager, "and it's great to have people see and appreciate the result of all that work."
The F-22 is widely regarded as the most advanced tactical fighter in the world, combining a revolutionary leap in
technology and capability with reduced support requirements and maintenance costs. It will replace the aging F-15 as
America�s front-line air dominance fighter, with deliveries beginning in 2002.
Its combination of stealth, integrated avionics, maneuverability, and supercruise (supersonic flight without afterburner)
will give the Raptor "first-look, first-shot, first-kill" capability against any potential enemy aircraft. The F-22 is designed
to provide not just air superiority but air dominance, winning quickly and decisively with few U. S. casualties.
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