Granny gonna keep her eagle eye on this one... Mystery of F-22 illnesses grows May 9th, 2012 : Even as the Air Force searches for the reason pilots are getting sick flying the F-22, a new mystery about the troubled stealth fighter jet has come to light: Why are mechanics on the ground getting sick in the plane as well? See also: Lt. General: No retaliation against F-22 whistleblowers May 9th, 2012 - The Air Force won't take disciplinary action against pilots whove raised concerns about or refused to fly F-22 Raptors because of reports of cockpit oxygen deprivation, an Air Force official told a Senate panel Tuesday, saying theyre covered by a federal whistleblower act.
Mebbe dey could fit `em up with oxygen tanks like dey got on scuba gear... Pentagon restricts F-22 flights, safety a concern 16 May`12 WASHINGTON (AP) Facing a mysterious safety problem with the Air Force's most-prized stealth fighter, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Tuesday ordered new flight restrictions on the F-22 and summoned help from Navy and NASA experts.
Granny says so far it sounds like a white-wash to her... Air Force cites progress on F-22 oxygen mystery 14 June`12 WASHINGTON (AP) The Air Force believes it is getting much closer to pinpointing the reason why pilots of its prized F-22 stealth fighters sometimes suffer an oxygen deficit during flight, a senior general said Thursday. See also: Sources: Flight suit could be cause of oxygen loss in F-22 flights June 13th, 2012 - Air Force investigators believe a specialized flight suit could be partially responsible for some pilots experiencing a lack of oxygen while flying the F-22 fighter jet, according to a report by Air Force investigators.
Granny says dey need to fix dat... Oxygen problems far more likely in F-22 than other fighter jets June 15th, 2012 : Pilots flying the F-22 Raptor reported illness from oxygen deprivation incidents 10 times as often as pilots of other fighter jets, according to Air Force data.
Granny says dat's the gubmint tellin' it - still remains to be seen... After four years Air Force confident it has found F-22 problem source July 31st, 2012 - An imperfect valve, a filter meant to protect pilots from chemical and biological threats, and decades-old vest technology combined to cause problems that grounded the state-of-the-art F-22 fighter jet, according to Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Lyon, director of operations for Air Combat Command.
So 4 design issues were the root cause of this problem? What other design issues will come out in the wash if it took years to find this?
This is always the case, in any military (or civilian) equipment. Once the item of equipment moves from prototype to widespread use, little things pop up that nobody realized before. You can bring up almost any piece of equipment, and somebody that knows it can point to major changes made during it's lifetime when changes were made. The PATRIOT missile system is over 30 years old, and we still find things that do not work right all the time. It is simply the nature of the beast.
Yup, especially when there is considerably more that can go wrong given its high-tech nature. A lot more can go wrong with your Audi than your Focus.
Well, that's just because the Audi and Ford is not made by the perfect workers in a Communist state. They are able to build things perfectly the first time, every time. And so well designed that they never need to be changed. 1990 Trabant: 1958 Trabant:
Another problem project pushed forward comes back to haunt Pentagon... Raptor: Problem Jet Of The Year Dec 31, 2012 - The Air Force's most expensive fighter jet ever has been the center of national controversy after problems with the oxygen system. With the "grounding" of an F-22 at Tyndall Air Force Base in May and a crash on the base in November, the scrutiny only increased.
First the F-22 oxygen problem - now this... F-35 fighter jet fleet grounded by Pentagon 22 February 2013 - The US has grounded its entire fleet of 51 F-35 fighter jets after the discovery of a cracked engine blade. See also: Pentagon grounds entire Joint Strike Fighter fleet February 22, 2013 - All Joint Strike Fighter operations have been suspended after an inspection revealed a cracked turbine blade in an engine at Edwards Air Force Base in California, officials said Friday.
This is a puzzler. The F-22 uses more or less the same oxygen generator setup used on F-18s, F-16s and F-15Es. There have been incidents. the reason remains unknown.
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has shortcomings that will get pilots shot down... New Pentagon super fighter will get pilots shot down, warns report Wednesday, March 6, 2013 - The U.S. Air Force version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has shortcomings that will get pilots shot down in combat, according to a leaked Pentagon report evaluating combat testing of the plane.
F-22 Raptor cover-up... Pilot's career stalls after criticizing oxygen system April 20, 2014 ~ The Air Force has spent tens of millions of dollars over the past two years correcting problems with its premier jet fighter -- issues that Capt. Joshua Wilson helped expose by speaking up, both to his bosses and on national television.
