Tag Archives: f-22

An F-22 Raptor is masked-off for new paint, on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Hawaii Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman John Linzmeier, 21AUG2020.

The F-22 Raptor is a hi-tech aircraft that has not resulted in making things easier for the U.S. Air Force (USAF). I’ve already written how the sensitive ‘skin’ of the aircraft is a nightmare for sheet metal shop personnel. Now the USAF admits that painting the aircraft is a pain-in-the-butt as well.

An F-22 gets its air intakes painstakingly ‘gap filled’ at Hill AFB, Utah. USAF photo by Alex R. Lloyd, 19NOV2020.

As of February 2020, the USAF has a new hi-tech tool that will supposedly solve one of the hi-tech aircraft’s skin problems; a robot designed specifically to paint the inside of the air intakes.

Hawaii Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman John Linzmeier, 21AUG2020.

The company, Aerobotix, that makes the robot painter claims it’ll save U.S. taxpayers $28-million in labor costs to paint the F-22, and apparently it can be used on other aircraft.

Video report:

Photo via Aerobotix.

Update, 31AUG2022: Aerobotix Marks 40th Restoration of Air Inlet Ducts on F-22 Raptor Aircraft

VEHICLE I-D:F-22 RAPTOR

Robot Wars: A-I Strips an A-10 naked!

TEXAS TURNS TO ROBOTS TO WASH F-16

Kit Bashing, Technology

Vehicle I-D: F-22 Raptor, plenty of kits of this one!

Video February 4, 2020 Hutchins AAron

F-22 Raptor flies over Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 05DEC2019. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman First Class Erin Baxter.

F-22 during demonstration over Shaw AFB, South Carolina.
USAF photo by Airman First Class Jacob Gutierrez, 06JAN2020.

Whoopsy! Main landing gear collapse on Joint Base Langley-Eustis. Virginia Air National Guard photo, 16JAN2020.

Video, USAF Air Demo Teams explainer:

F-22 music video, Fort Lauderdale Air Show, May 2019:

Refueling over the Persian Gulf, 17JAN2020. USAF photo by Master Sergeant Joshua L. DeMotts.

Video, ‘undisclosed location’ in Persian Gulf, refueling F-22s, July 2019:

Sentry Aloha war games in Hawaii, 17JAN2020. Hawaii Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman John Linzmeier.

Video, Sentry Aloha explainer:

First ever Forward Area Refueling Point (FARP) for F-22 Raptors in an extreme cold weather environment. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 30JAN2020. USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Ridge Shan.

Missile bay, F-22 on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. USAF photo by Justin Connaher, 31JAN2020.

Video from July 2019, over Battle Creek, Michigan, taken from Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation P-51 Mustang:

Model kits:

USAF ADMITS F-22 STEALTH JET IS A PAIN TO MAINTAIN, AND THAT’S JUST THE ‘SKIN’!

Video: Virginia F-22

2013: FALSE FLAG REPORT CLAIMS U.S. F-22 SHOT DOWN!

Obama cancels F-22 demo for fear of upsetting North Korea?

News media gives conflicting reasons why Obama deployed F-22s to South Korea!

Idaho, Technology

Idaho: Mountain Home AFB update, F-15E walk-around, Micron Bus

Video September 22, 2018 Hutchins AAron

22SEP2018 (16:34 UTC-07 Tango 06) 31 Sharivar 1397/11 Muharram 1440/13 Xin-You (8th month) 4716

U.S. Air Force photo by Technical Sergeant Sandra Welch, 20AUG2018.

In August, the 17th Special Tactics Squadron took part in Jaded Thunder.

A child tests a plasma ball on the Micron STEM Bus. USAF photo by Senior Airman Malissa Armstrong, 07AUG2018.

Mountain Home AFB got a visit from Idaho based computer tech company Micron‘s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Bus.

Students try out a game recreating an image they see on a tablet. USAF photo by Senior Airman Malissa Armstrong, 07AUG2018.

USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Jeremy L. Mosier, 04AUG2018.

Also in August, while many local Idaho school districts struggle, grade school students on Mountain Home AFB got 2-hundred new backpacks filled with supplies, courtesy of the Airman and Family Readiness Center’s Back to School Brigade.

USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Jeremy L. Mosier, 04AUG2018.

F-15Es from the 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home Air Force Base, on Gowen Field National Guard base, Boise Airport, Idaho, 12JUL2018. Idaho Air National Guard photo by Technical Sergeant John Winn.

In July, F-15E Strike Eagles from Mountain Home AFB, along with C-17 transports from Travis AFB in California, converged on Idaho National Guard’s Gowen Field for what’s called Adaptive Base Training (aka Gunfighter Flag 18-3). The Louisiana National Guard’s 159th Fighter Wing joined in, as well as Idaho National Guard A-10Cs.

Idaho Air National Guard photo by Technical Sergeant John Winn, 12JUL2018.

USAF photo by Airman First Class JaNae Capuno, 12JUL2018.

USAF photo by Airman First Class Hailey Bivens, 30JUN2018.

366th Security Forces Squadron took part in exercises to prep them for Defender Challenge 2018.

391st Fighter Squadron from Mountain Home AFB bombs Utah, 03JUL2018. USAF photo by Airman First Class Codie Trimble.

USAF photo by Senior Airman Parker Dubois, June 2018.

The first weekend of June, the F-22 Raptor made an appearance at the Gunfighter Skies Air and Space Celebration, over Mountain Home AFB, even dogfighting a P-51D Mustang (hey, that’s one of ours!).

USAF photo by Senior Airman Parker Dubois, June 2018.

Idaho Air National Guard Photo by Airman First Class Mercedee Schwartz, 06MAY2018.

In May, Idaho National Guard A-10C Thunderbolt-2s shot-up the Saylor Creek Range on Mountain Home AFB.

The following video is from 2017, but shows you what Idaho National Guard A-10s do to the Saylor Creek Range:

Video, Mountain Home AFB F-15, Thunderbolts and Bold Tigers:

Video report, history of 366 Thunderbolts/Gunfighters:

March 2018: MOUNTAIN HOME AFB, IDAHO, UPDATE

Technology

USAF admits F-22 stealth jet is a pain to maintain, and that’s just the ‘skin’!

Video March 28, 2017 Hutchins AAron

28 March 2017 (12:59 UTC-07 Tango 06) 08 Farvardin 1396/29 Jumada t-Tania 1438/01 Gui Mao (3rd month) 4715

In this video the U.S. Air Force admits that maintaining the expensive F-22 Raptor’s stealth ‘skin’ (LO, or Low Observable surface) is a never ending expensive effort: