Air Force sees F/A-22 on track to start operation

Posted on: Dec. 7th, 2005 || Source: today.reuters.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

Air Force sees F/A-22 on track to start operation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp.'s new F/A-22 fighter jet, nearly two decades in the making, is on track to begin operational use this month, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told Reuters on Tuesday.

"We're really hopeful that we can declare (the F/A-22 operational) within the context of calendar year of '05," Wynne said in an interview as part of the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit.

But he said the final decision would be made by the operational commander at Langley Air Force Base, where the first squadron of the stealthy fighters will be based.

The Pentagon has spent about $40 billion on the F/A-22, also known as the Raptor, since the program began about 19 years ago during the Cold War to replace the F-15 as the top U.S. fighter plane. Since then, the program has been scaled back dramatically and the fighter's missions have expanded.

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