The
world's most advanced warplane has been cloaked in secrecy until now.
The F-22 Raptor has been tested in the skies over southern Nevada to
prepare for wars of the future. The Raptor pilots say that when that day
finally comes, the F-22 will live up to it's billing as the most
dominant warplane ever conceived.
It's like a young Mike Tyson with wings -- the biggest, baddest bully on the block. The F-22 Raptor is already flying higher, faster, farther, and packing more firepower than any fighter plane ever conceived. It is stealthy like an F-117, fast like an F-16, packs a punch like an F-15, but is far superior to all of those, and everything else in the sky.
Major Robert Garland, an F-22 Raptor pilot, says, "This is the big boy, not only on the block but on the entire planet." Major Garland is in the enviable position of being one of the first Air Force pilots to get behind the controls of the Raptor.
Seven of the warplanes are based at Nellis. Since the first arrived last year, little has been said about how the program is progressing. The base commander gave his okay for a status report, which allowed the people who know the Raptor best to almost gush about its capabilities, even those still loyal to the F-15.
"F-15 was great. The Raptor is better. It's not just better; it's a whole new dimension. Once you get to compete with it, fight with it, it just isn't fair. And that's the way it should be," said Major Garland
Nellis officials confirm that during a recent test maneuver over the Nevada desert, the Raptor faced four enemy aircraft, F-15s or F-16s flown by mock aggressors. The Raptor not only took out all four of the others, it took them all out twice without breaking a sweat. The pilots say the F-22 will not only provide total dominance in the air, its technical marvels will allow for total dominance of the entire battle space -- air, ground, ocean, whatever.
At 60,000 feet, it flies higher than any other warplane, can zip along at Mach 2 without an afterburner -- meaning it's efficient so it can stay aloft longer. It's so maneuverable it can fire its missiles while upside down, and it's so stealthy that opponents will likely never see it coming-- until it's too late.
Maj. Robert Garland continued, "We're going so high, so fast, you can't see us coming. If you're lucky and see us, bam, something hits you and you don't have to worry anymore."
The Raptor program will be based at Nellis until it becomes operational. At that point, the program will be moved to Virginia. Until then though, the Raptor's sonic booms will reverberate throughout the Nellis ranges -- a sound that's a source of pride for the base.
"We dominate everything today and we expect to dominate everything well into the next decade," concluded Major Garland.
The Air Force has eight F-22 Raptors. Seven are at Nellis. One is at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Nellis expects to be home to as many as 17 Raptors in the future.
It's like a young Mike Tyson with wings -- the biggest, baddest bully on the block. The F-22 Raptor is already flying higher, faster, farther, and packing more firepower than any fighter plane ever conceived. It is stealthy like an F-117, fast like an F-16, packs a punch like an F-15, but is far superior to all of those, and everything else in the sky.
Major Robert Garland, an F-22 Raptor pilot, says, "This is the big boy, not only on the block but on the entire planet." Major Garland is in the enviable position of being one of the first Air Force pilots to get behind the controls of the Raptor.
Seven of the warplanes are based at Nellis. Since the first arrived last year, little has been said about how the program is progressing. The base commander gave his okay for a status report, which allowed the people who know the Raptor best to almost gush about its capabilities, even those still loyal to the F-15.
"F-15 was great. The Raptor is better. It's not just better; it's a whole new dimension. Once you get to compete with it, fight with it, it just isn't fair. And that's the way it should be," said Major Garland
Nellis officials confirm that during a recent test maneuver over the Nevada desert, the Raptor faced four enemy aircraft, F-15s or F-16s flown by mock aggressors. The Raptor not only took out all four of the others, it took them all out twice without breaking a sweat. The pilots say the F-22 will not only provide total dominance in the air, its technical marvels will allow for total dominance of the entire battle space -- air, ground, ocean, whatever.
At 60,000 feet, it flies higher than any other warplane, can zip along at Mach 2 without an afterburner -- meaning it's efficient so it can stay aloft longer. It's so maneuverable it can fire its missiles while upside down, and it's so stealthy that opponents will likely never see it coming-- until it's too late.
Maj. Robert Garland continued, "We're going so high, so fast, you can't see us coming. If you're lucky and see us, bam, something hits you and you don't have to worry anymore."
The Raptor program will be based at Nellis until it becomes operational. At that point, the program will be moved to Virginia. Until then though, the Raptor's sonic booms will reverberate throughout the Nellis ranges -- a sound that's a source of pride for the base.
"We dominate everything today and we expect to dominate everything well into the next decade," concluded Major Garland.
The Air Force has eight F-22 Raptors. Seven are at Nellis. One is at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Nellis expects to be home to as many as 17 Raptors in the future.
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