First F/A-22 Sqn announced


Message posted by Magoo on October 15, 2003 at 22:37:37 PST:

Transcript from Aerospace Daily, 10/16/2003

Fightin' Eagles to be first deployable unit to fly F/A-22

The U.S. Air Force announced Oct. 15 that the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va., will be the first deployable unit to fly the new F/A-22 Raptor.

Col. Frank Gorenc, commander of the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley, said in a statement that the 27th, also known as the Fightin' Eagles, was chosen because of its "impressive combat record" and its "heritage." The unit, the Air Force's oldest fighter squadron, was the first to fly the P-38 Lightning for the Army Air Force in 1941 and the first operational unit to fly the F-15 Eagle.

The 27th is scheduled to get its first Lockheed Martin-built F/A-22 in November 2004 and achieve an initial operational capability (IOC) with 24 planes by December 2005.

"Our construction projects and ongoing efforts to receive our first Raptor at the end of 2004 are right on track," Gorenc said.

The 1st Fighter Wing's 71st and 94th Fighter Squadrons each will receive 24 F/A-22s later (DAILY, Oct. 15). The wing's transition from the aging F-15 to the stealthy Raptor is slated for completion by the end of 2007.

Tyndall AFB, Fla., which will train F/A-22 pilots, received its first Raptor on Sept. 26.


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