F-22 now in Squadron Service

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2005-01-11 05:01pm

http://www.af.mil/media/photodb/photos/ ... 0P-013.JPG
LARGE IMAGE

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Three F/A-22 Raptors taxi on the flightline here Jan. 7 as they arrive at their new home from the production plant in Marietta, Ga. Five new Raptors now call the 43rd Fighter Squadron home, increasing the squadron's inventory to 18 aircraft.

Chmee · Post by **Chmee** » 2005-01-11 05:06pm

What's down at the end of the flightline behind the Eagles? Wild Weasel F-4?

Kamakazie Sith · Post by **Kamakazie Sith** » 2005-01-11 05:08pm

Chmee wrote:What's down at the end of the flightline behind the Eagles? Wild Weasel F-4?

Looks like it.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2005-01-11 05:08pm

End of the runway? Thats not an F-4, those are trees

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2005-01-11 05:08pm

Chmee wrote:What's down at the end of the flightline behind the Eagles? Wild Weasel F-4?

F-4s of some sort. Hard to tell while seeing only the nose.

Chmee · Post by **Chmee** » 2005-01-11 05:13pm

Stormbringer wrote:
Chmee wrote:What's down at the end of the flightline behind the Eagles? Wild Weasel F-4?
F-4s of some sort. Hard to tell while seeing only the nose.

Yeah, could be recon birds, I wasn't sure how many Phantoms are still in the Weasel role and was too lazy to look up the details of the deployment at that base.

RadiO · Post by **RadiO** » 2005-01-11 05:47pm

Chmee wrote: F-4s of some sort. Hard to tell while seeing only the nose.

Yeah, could be recon birds, I wasn't sure how many Phantoms are still in the Weasel role and was too lazy to look up the details of the deployment at that base.[/quote]

QF-4G, at a guess. The outer wing is day-glo, which IIRC tallies with the scheme the current drones wear.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2005-01-11 07:02pm

They also appear to lack the huge under-nose pod of the F-4G. Almost certainly QF-4s of some sort.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2005-01-11 07:08pm

It's almost certainly a drone, since as of December 2004 that is the only role the USAF's uses the aircraft in. Given that this unit is operating F-22's, they probably have been given quite a few drones to use and expend in training.

Trytostaydead · Post by **Trytostaydead** » 2005-01-11 07:56pm

Why does that picture remind me of Space: Above and Beyond?

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2005-01-11 10:56pm

Tyndall is an AETC base where one of the DODs two F-15 school houses is located. Those F-22s are there for training purposes, I wouldn't expect to see them overseas anytime soon.

Zed Snardbody · Post by **Zed Snardbody** » 2005-01-12 03:08am

Trytostaydead wrote:Why does that picture remind me of Space: Above and Beyond?

I tried to find the one of them taking off, but to no avail.

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2005-01-12 03:37am

Zed Snardbody wrote:
Trytostaydead wrote:Why does that picture remind me of Space: Above and Beyond?
I tried to find the one of them taking off, but to no avail.

Speaking of which, some funny trivia from IMDb...

Full-scale models of the "Hammerhead" fighters used in the series were created and shipped from Japan. While they were being stored on board the freighter before shipping, crewmen from a Russian freighter were caught taking pictures of them after mistakenly thinking they were a new kind of advanced U.S. tactical fighter.

Zed Snardbody · Post by **Zed Snardbody** » 2005-01-12 03:42am

Those silly ruskies.

Post by **Vympel** » 2005-01-12 04:32am

Zed Snardbody wrote:Those silly ruskies.

cackles at the ignorance of those unaware of the Su-73 Starfighters that the makers of that show copied ...

Ahem.

Zed Snardbody · Post by **Zed Snardbody** » 2005-01-12 04:39am

The google! It betrays me!

VF5SS · Post by **VF5SS** » 2005-01-12 09:02am

Vympel wrote:
Ahem.

Which was soon replaced with the MiG-31 Firefox.

Think in Russian...

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2005-01-12 10:07am

Vympel wrote:
Zed Snardbody wrote:Those silly ruskies.
cackles at the ignorance of those unaware of the Su-73 Starfighters that the makers of that show copied ...

Claiming the Hammerhead was copied from the Su-73 is like claiming the DC-3/C-47 was copied from the Li-2, or that the B-29 was copied from the Tu-4

.