The very, very secure F-22
On April 10, at Langley Air Force Base, an F-22
pilot, Capt. Brad Spears, was locked inside the cockpit of his aircraft for five
hours. No one in the U.S. Air Force or from Lockheed Martin could figure out how
to open the aircraft’s canopy.
On April 10, at Langley Air Force Base, an F-22
pilot, Capt. Brad Spears, was locked inside the cockpit of his aircraft for
five hours. No one in the U.S. Air Force or from Lockheed Martin could figure
out how to open the aircraft’s canopy. At about 1:15 pm, chainsaw-wielding
firefighters from the 1st Fighter Wing finally extracted Spears after they cut
through the F-22’s three-quarter inch-thick polycarbonate
canopy.
Total damage to the airplane, according to sources inside the Pentagon: $1.28 million. Not only did the firefighters ruin the canopy, which cost $286,000, they also scuffed the coating on the airplane’s skin which will cost about $1 million to replace.
Here are more photos.
The Pentagon currently plans to buy 181 copies of the F-22 from Lockheed Martin, the world’s biggest weapons vendor. The total price tag: $65.4 billion.
What could I possibly add to this simple description of your taxpayer dollars at work?
Thanks, David S.
Total damage to the airplane, according to sources inside the Pentagon: $1.28 million. Not only did the firefighters ruin the canopy, which cost $286,000, they also scuffed the coating on the airplane’s skin which will cost about $1 million to replace.
Here are more photos.
The Pentagon currently plans to buy 181 copies of the F-22 from Lockheed Martin, the world’s biggest weapons vendor. The total price tag: $65.4 billion.
What could I possibly add to this simple description of your taxpayer dollars at work?
Thanks, David S.
Posted: Sat - April 28, 2007 at 03:22 PM