In a potential quasi-peer conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific, the F-22 Raptor will play a key role in winning air dominance from China’s air force.
Understanding the aircraft’s central role in American strategy, a group of airmen devised a new method to maintain stealth fighters.
Improved maintenance equals increased lethality of fighter jets
The Air Force Maintenance Command has developed a customized stand at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, revolutionizing the maintenance of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet.
The new customized stand is intended to allow maintenance personnel to more easily, safely and efficiently access some of the hard-to-reach areas of stealth aircraft.
“Our Airmen needed something more reliable and easier to use than ladders and makeshift platforms,” said Airman Master Sgt. said Scott Kamalii, 154th Maintenance Squadron low observation aircraft structure maintenance supervisor. “We saw an opportunity to solve a long-standing problem and improve working conditions for maintainers.”
The Airmen took nearly five years to complete the project, working in conjunction with the National Guard.
“F-22 maintenance presents unique challenges, and we knew we couldn’t settle for a one-size-fits-all solution,” Jockemann said. “We needed something that was designed with maintainers in mind.”
“These stands are a game changer,” said Sgt. Kamalii added. “Not only is it safer, it also reduces downtime, increases efficiency, and improves the overall quality of life for maintenance personnel.”
The F-22 Raptor may have been the first stealth fighter to take to the skies, but it’s an aging aircraft, 20 years after its operational debut.
Therefore, any faster and more efficient way to maintain stealth fighters would be welcome.
“The maintenance stand is tailored to the F-22’s smooth, angular profile, wrapping around the sharp wings and fuselage to create a stable and spacious work platform. This design prevents accidental damage to the aircraft. “The risk of damage is minimized and maintenance personnel can move freely and safely perform their missions,” the National Guard said of the new maintenance stand.
“This effort doesn’t just address safety issues,” said Air Force Maj. Zachary Chan, deputy commander of the 154th Maintenance Squadron. “This sets the stage for future advances in how we approach maintenance, which is a testament to the dedication and ingenuity of our Airmen.”
Manufacturer Lockheed Martin shut down production lines in 2011, just six years after the F-22 Raptor entered service. Congress was eager to get the long-awaited F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter into service, but the F-22 production line was standing in the way.
The Air Force, the world’s only F-22 operator, received an estimated 186 aircraft. Nowadays, the number has decreased due to many years of operation. After all, the F-22 is the Air Force’s primary air superiority fighter, and it is estimated that only a fraction of the aircraft will be delivered, although actual availability remains classified.
Stavros Atramazoglou is an experienced defense journalist specializing in special operations and a veteran of the Hellenic Army (with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army Headquarters). He holds a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
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