Another "praise the Raptor" article

[Capt Morgan's]

And final note, I don't know where you guys are getting this measly little $250m price tag. I have it on record that the going rate for an F-22 is $339 million per copy, when you include R&D and testing costs.

I don't remember exactly where I saw it but the cost for the jet being $250m ish, but here is a good link (lots of detail breakdown) for F-22 cost.


http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-22-cost.htm

Average unit flyaway cost includes the costs associated with procuring one aircraft, including the airframe, engines, avionics, other mission equipment, and certain nonrecurring production costs. It does not include "sunk" costs for development and test and other costs to the whole system, including logistical support and construction. The average unit flyaway cost for the F/A-22 in 2003 was about $178 million, while the unit flyaway costs for future annual buys were projected before the budget decision to decrease to $127 million, $111 million, and $108 million in fiscal years 2007, 2008, and 2009 respectively [that is to say, roughly double the unit flyaway costs of the single engine F-35]. With the program will be truncated in 2008, the less expensive aircraft in 2009 and beyond will not be bought and unit costs are projected at $135 million in 2007 and $149 million in 2008 (increases associated with close-out of production).


No matter how you look at it, it is still alot of coin for one plane. :icon_wink

 

[Capt Morgan's]

Those 'PACAF boys' are about to get the local ANG 20 new F-22's (supposedly 2011), but for the last couple decades they've been stuck with A-model F-15's, first block. Shiny toys to the pilots maybe, because the thrust/weight is so good, but I wouldn't exactly call 'em trading material.

199th FS runs F-15 C & D's fyi. They used to have A's but traded up in '91

 

[Swanee]

Those 'PACAF boys' are about to get the local ANG 20 new F-22's (supposedly 2011),

Kind of like how the big bad 1FW got the Va ANG unit some F-22s right? Exactly how many of those airplanes are going to have an ANG tail flash on them? Right now the count at Langley is a big zero.

 

[HeyJoe]

Raptors vs Clams

Must have been a slow day in the USAF PAO shop to put this on the wire.

 

[FLYTPAY]

I love how they capture birds and fit them with GPS trackers. Next thing you know, birds will pop out of the egg with a transponder and a Garmin 1000 courtesy of the USAF.

 

[phrogdriver]

Other threatening birds at high altitudes include all raptor species.

So "raptors" are a threat to the "Raptor," huh?

I wouldn't even have admitted publicly that this was a problem. I know it's legit, but it just sounds so comical to be addressing the clams-dropped-from-seagulls threat.

 

[Pags]

Pretty typical to find clam/oyster shells during FOD walks in the SP area of NAS Chambers. You'd also find chicken bones...the birds would pull chicken from dumpsters in the area and eat it on the ramp.

The Chair Force sure does have a lot of money for BASH.

While we in the Navy just write a BASH report and every spring they collect up all the geese on the base. Not much you can do about bird strikes when you fly at 500' and below at night in the middle a huge estuary.

 

[snake020]

The Chair Force sure does have a lot of money for BASH.

As they should.

 

[HeyJoe]

Raptor versus vaunted IAF Su-30MKI Flankers at Red Flag

The Indian Air Force taught the Air Force a lesson every time they showed up at Cope India in their F-16 and F-15 fighters. This time, the Indians came to Nevada to take on the Raptor. Check the link for a debrief.

 

[Hozer]

Interesting perspective on the updated Mig-21. Thanks for the link...

 

[mmx1]

Huh, Turmansky engines susceptible to FOD. Runs contrary to the stereotype.

 

[nittany03]

Every engine is susceptible to FOD.

 

[mmx1]

Well, more so than ours according to the vid, to the point that the required 1 min spacing to launch the Indian Flankers got in the way of Red Flag ops.

Or, it could just be that they're more cautious since they can't do any major maintenance on it on their own, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[nittany03]

If the Indian military is anything like the US military, I would go with what's behind door #2.

I wonder how you spell ORM in Hindi?

 

[SemperGumbi]

Good link!