Thursday, Jan. 13, 2005 | 11:02 a.m.
The crash of one of the Air Force's new FA-22 stealth fighters at Nellis Air Force Base last month is related to a software problem involving the aircraft's flight control, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper said.
"We've been able to take it (the software glitch) into account," Jumper said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday. "From what I know preliminarily, it looks like something that can be fixed.
"We are up and flying again."
Jumper, who spoke to reporters after flying an FA-22 Raptor at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, would not elaborate further on the cause of the crash that grounded all of the stealth fighters for 2 1/2 weeks.
Jumper didn't say if the software problem was specific to the Raptor that crashed on Nellis' runway on Dec. 20, or if all 34 of the planes currently being flown by the Air Force had to have corrections made before they were cleared to fly again.
Jumper did say that the flight control software issue was not related to the high-tech plane's other computerized systems including avionics and weapons, which were the sources of software problems last year.
"It's hard to forecast anomalies, and you expect to have some when you're testing a new aircraft," Jumper said. "The Raptor has performed remarkably well. It's all any of us hoped it would be and more."
The FA-22 that crashed was one of eight of the stealth fighters based at Nellis with the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron. The squadron is tasked with developing combat tactics for the Raptor.
The Raptor went down seconds after takeoff as it lifted off from Nellis. The pilot, whose name has not been released, was able to eject safely before the plane crashed at the north end of the Nellis runways.
The pilot, who has about 60 hours of flight time in Raptors and more than 2,000 hours of flight time with the Air Force, is concentrating on working with the investigation boards and is not currently flying, Nellis officials said.
An accident investigation board could release a full report about what caused the crash within the next three months.
Currently the Air Force has seven of the Raptors at Nellis, eight at Edwards Air Force Base in California, 18 at Tyndall and one at Langley Air Force Base, Va.
The Air Force plans to have its first operational fighter squadron of 17 Raptors at Langley by the end of the year. By 2008, 17 Raptors are expected to be stationed at Nellis so that the base's weapons school can begin operating the equivalent of doctorate-level instructor training for the aircraft.
The Air Force wants to buy 381 Raptors, manufactured by a group of companies including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney, to replace its aging fleet of F-15 Eagles.
The controversial $72 billion program will be cut by $10 billion, or 96 planes, according to leaked Pentagon budget documents. Raptors cost about $133 million each, or $258 million each when research and development costs are factored in.
Jumper said that he will fight to get the $10 billion reinstated and a full complement of 381 Raptors for the Air Force at upcoming Pentagon budget meetings.
"We all know the proposed cuts are the result of a budget drill and not the result of an analysis," Jumper said. "The program has always stood up well. The argument is not going to be about the aircraft's capabilities but the numbers."
The Raptor has been controversial, with critics questioning the need for a new fighter, noting the lack of enemy fighter aircraft for F-15s to engage during conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Jumper said that the Raptor gives American pilots the advantage of speed, stealth and altitude making the aircraft a tough target for surface-to-air missiles to hit.
He added that the planes can carry eight bombs, and that bombing is the "true forte" of the airplane.
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