Raptors Return with Insight, Information

Published: Oct 29, 2005
Source: www.military.com



LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. - The familiar sound of flying Raptors will soon fill the Virginia skies again.

The 27th Fighter Squadron returns here Oct. 28 from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, ending two weeks of out-of-town training and bringing the first-ever deployment for the F/A-22 Raptor to a close.

“Training like this is imperative to being prepared for real-world scenarios,” said Brig. Gen. Burt Field, 1st Fighter Wing commander. “The lessons learned from this deployment will undoubtedly leave our team better equipped for any mission tasking.”

The last phase of flying training for the squadron took place over the Nevada desert Oct. 26. With simulated surface-to-air missile sites at the Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., range primed for practice, the 27th FS took to the skies to familiarize themselves with the Raptor’s advanced offensive stealth capabilities.

“In any other aircraft, if I were going to try and do what I did today, I’d be dead,” said Maj. Chuck Corcoran, 27th FS assistant director of operations. “Pitting the Raptor against the simulated effectiveness of the next generation SAM sites is an important step in gaining confidence in this airplane’s capabilities.” continue..