HAWAII AIR NATIONAL GUARD, U.S. AIR FORCE TO DEDICATE FIRST F-22 RAPTORS AT HICKAM

For Immediate Release:  July 2, 2010

HAWAII AIR NATIONAL GUARD, U.S. AIR FORCE TO DEDICATE FIRST F-22 RAPTORS AT HICKAM

WHAT:           The Hawaii Air National Guard’s 154^th Wing and the active duty Air Force’s 15^th Wing will dedicate the first two F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft to be stationed here

WHO:             Governor Linda Lingle, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, Gen. Gary L. North, commander Pacific Air Forces, Gen. Craig R. McKinley, Chief, National Guard Bureau

WHERE:        Base Ops, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

WHEN:          Friday, May 7, 2010, 9:00 a.m.

FORT RUGER, HI- The first of twenty F-22 Raptors, the U.S> Air Force’s most advanced jet fighter, will be dedicated on Friday, July 9, 2010, at a Joint Base Pearl Habor-Hickam ceremony.  The ceremony will mark the beginning of the partnership between the Hawaii Air National Guard and the active duty Air Force flying the ‘fifth generation’ fighter at Hickam.  The F-22 Raptors will be flown by pilots from the 199^th Fighter Squadron, 154^th Wing, Hawaii Air National Guard and active duty pilots from the 19^th Fighter Squadron, 15^th Wing.  The aircraft will also be maintained by a combination of Hawaii Air National Guardsmen and active duty Airmen.

“The arrival of the F-22s begins a new chapter in the already close relationship between the Guard and the active duty in Hawaii,” said Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. lee, state adjutant general and the commander of the Hawaii National Guard.  “We’ve partnered with the 15^th Wing since 2006, flying and maintaining the C-17s, except now in the case of the F-22s it will be a Guard asset with the active Air Force working in association with us.”

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“Basing the F-22 Raptor in Hawaii underscores America’s commitment to the Pacific region and adds further air dominance capacity to the United States Pacific Command,” said Maj. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, Director of Pacific Air Forces Operations, Plans, Requirements, and Programs.  “the Raptor represents an exponential leap in the warfighting capabilities of U.S. forces in the Pacific.”

The F-22 Raptors will replace the F-15 Eagles that the 199^th Fighter Squadron has flown since 1987.  The F-22 is designed to counter lethal threats posed by advance surface-to-air missile systems and next-generation fighters equipped with launch-and-leave missile capability.  Its predecessor, the F-15, entered the Air Force inventory in 1975 and there is now parity between the F-15 and potentially hostile foreign air superiority aircraft.  The F-22 provides the U.S. Air Force air dominance for the 21^st Century, with a “first-look, first-shot, first-kill” capability.  It can see the enemy first - while avoiding detection itself.  Using combination of stealth, advanced maneuverability and integrated avionics, the F-22 con counter and defeat threats that will attempt to deny access to friendly forces.

The F-22A is not only a “shooter” but it is also a sensor providing critical information to other aircraft and ground forces.  The stealthy F-22 can operate at super-cruise (speed of 1.5 Mach+) without using afterburner, using less fuel and increasing the chances of pilot survivability, while covering three times the range of an F-15.  It can also engage mobile ground targets in any weather, 24 hours a day – deep within enemy territory.

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For more information, contact:

Lt. Col. Charles Anthony

Hawaii National Guard

Public Affairs Officer

Office: (808) &33-4258