F-22 Sustainment

The 90th FS (nicknamed Pair-O-Dice) was the first F-22 squadron in Alaska, receiving its advanced aircraft in 2007. The 525th FS (nicknamed Bulldogs) received their Raptors later the same year. In addition, the Air Force Reserve Command’s 302nd FS (the Hellions) is an Associate unit that provides pilots and maintainers who fly and fix the aircraft alongside their active duty counterparts.

The fifth generation of fighters, the Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35, fundamentally changes the concept of operations for combat. A review of the first four generations of fighter aircraft around the world shows why.

While the delivery of the last F-22 in May 2012 marks the end of F-22 production, the history of the F-22 program is still being written at the operational and training units, in flight testing of new capabilities, at the support centers, and upgrade and modernization programs that will come in future years.

Collection of videos of the F-22 Raptor.

This first half of a two-part F-22 chronology covers the major program events from those first studies to that first flight in 1997.

Given the vital role the F-22 performs in projecting air power and considering that the US Air Force will have received 187 production aircraft by the time production winds down in early 2012, maintaining the fleet and keeping Raptors flying are the new imperatives.

Videos of LM aircraft airshow routines

Photos of F-22 Raptor

Through the years, the scope of Code One magazine expanded beyond tactical aircraft to include air mobility, maritime patrol and reconnaissance, and cutting-edge air vehicles.

F-22 Raptors from the 90th FS at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, in January 2009 to fulfill a real-world role as part of a theater security package in this important part of the world.