Nellis pilots eagerly await F-22 Raptors

Jace Radke

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2002 | 10 a.m.

Keeping an eye on the instruments in the cockpit of an F-15 Eagle while flying combat missions at hundreds of mph can be a challenge, even for a veteran pilot such as Lt. Col. Dave Rose, who flew missions during Desert Storm.

"It gets a little scary when you're flying missions at 3 a.m. and surface-to-air missiles are being fired at you and your buddies," Rose said Wednesday at Nellis Air Force Base.

During combat, situational awareness is key for aviators, and that's why Rose and other pilots at Nellis are looking forward to September, when the base is scheduled to get its first F-22 Raptor, a next-generation fighter that uses new technology to condense and easily display information to pilots.

"It looks like it will be just like playing a video game," Rose said of the F-22, which comes with a price tag of about $100 million. "We want a plane to be easy to fly so that the pilot can concentrate on the mission."

Rose leads a team that will develop combat tactics for the new aircraft and provide the highest level of training for the fighter jocks who will pilot the planes.

Nellis should have eight Raptors by summer 2003, and 17 by 2008. A fabrication shop, maintenance shop and parts warehouse have been constructed at the base to service the jets at a cost of $18.6 million.

Nellis will be one of three Air Force bases that will permanently house the planes. Langley AFB in Virginia will eventually have a wing of 72 Raptors, and Tyndall AFB in Florida will be the headquarters for pilot training for the F-22.

Nellis, however, will serve as the training facility for pilots who go on to become experts and instructors in flying the new fighter.

"The weapons school here will provide the doctorate level training that will allow pilots to go back to their bases and train others," Rose said. "We'll also take the planes up and write the book on F-22 tactics."

The F-22, jointly built by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing, is designed to replace the aging F-15 and is in the final phase of testing at Edwards AFB in California.

The plane features stealth capabilities, the ability to reach supersonic speeds without the use of an afterburner and twin engines, which can be adjusted to enhance maneuverability, said Mark Hodge, director of F-22 programs for Lockheed Martin.

"The jump in technology from the F-15 to this plane is like the jump from a prop plane to a jet," Hodge said. "The systems in this plane are going to allow us to whip the bad guys without breaking a sweat."