F-22s At Langley Receive FOC Status

Even though the F-22 has reached FOC, Airmen at Langley AFB will continue training to get better every day, said Col. Jay Pearsall, the 192nd FW commander.

by Staff Writers
Langley AFB VA (SPX) Dec 14, 2007
F-22 Raptors here reached full operational capability Dec. 12, said Gen. John D.W. Corley, the commander of Air Combat Command. The announcement officially makes Langley's F-22 squadrons combat ready. FOC for the F-22 means the aircraft are now ready for global engagement, said Lt. Col. Mark Hansen, the Air Combat Command F-22 integration officer. "Crews are now (fully) organized, trained, equipped and ready for the joint fight," he said.

Since the F-22s reached initial operational capability two years ago, the 1st Fighter Wing and the Air National Guard's 192nd Fighter Wing have dedicated time and resources into finding how to best use and maintain the world's most advanced fighter. The fighter has deployed and trained across the world to define and refine its capabilities and tactics.

The 1st FW has been training for the wartime mission since the F-22 went IOC, said Brig. Gen. Mark A. Barrett, the 1st FW commander. Langley AFB's F-22s were declared IOC in December 2005, making them capable of some combat operations such as homeland defense.

"We are available to be tasked at any time, to do whatever our nation requires," General Barrett said. The 1st and 192nd Fighter Wings will continue to baseline the F-22 so the rest of the fleet can learn from their experience, he said.

Even though the F-22 has reached FOC, Airmen at Langley AFB will continue training to get better every day, said Col. Jay Pearsall, the 192nd FW commander.

"There's no change in training," he said. "Everybody is working hard, and we're ready to go to war, (on) deployments or on exercises."

earlier related report
BAE Systems Dedicates New Facility For F-22 And F-35 Production
BAE Systems has opened a new 30,000-square-foot facility at its South Nashua, New Hampshire, location for production work on the F-22A Raptor and F-35 Lightning II electronic warfare programs. The site will support more than 1,400 of BAE Systems' 4,500 employees who work in New Hampshire and who contribute to the F-22 and F-35 programs.

"The new facility is capable of assembling and testing complex microwave products and performing assembly, integration, and acceptance testing at significantly reduced cost and cycle times," said Mike Dow, vice president of operations for BAE Systems in Nashua. "It's an important step in our mission to improve supplier relationships, enhance product design, and inspire our employees to meet the needs of our nation's men and women in uniform."

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BAE Systems Completes First Test Of Autonomous Landing System

Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2007
BAE Systems has completed the first test of an autonomous landing system intended for large mobility and transport aircraft. The test demonstrated the system's ability to enhance pilot vision in a simulated zero-visibility landing scenario. The Dec. 6 demonstration of the Autonomous Approach and Landing Capability (AALC) system took place at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base aboard a C-130H aircraft.

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