Pilot Killed In Calif. Jet Fighter Crash

F-22 Raptor Went Down In The Desert During Test Mission Near Edwards Air Force Base

(AP)  One of the Air Force's top-of-the-line F-22 fighter jets crashed Wednesday in the high desert of Southern California, killing a test pilot for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.

The F-22A Raptor crashed at 10 a.m. about 35 miles northeast of Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. The Bureau of Land Management identifies the area as Harper Dry Lake, a vast and empty expanse of sometimes marshy flat land.

The pilot was David Cooley, 49, a 21-year Air Force veteran who joined Lockheed Martin in 2003, the company said in a statement. It did not release any details of the accident, including whether Cooley attempted to eject.

A statement issued by Edwards said first responders transported Cooley from the crash scene to Victor Valley Community Hospital in Victorville, where he was pronounced dead.

Cooley, of Palmdale, Calif., was part of a team of company and Air Force pilots who conduct F-22 testing.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of David and our concerns, thoughts and prayers at this time are with his family," the statement said.

Sam Grizzle, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., said no additional information would be released.

A board of officers is investigating the crash, the Edwards statement said. The Air Force urged people to stay away from the site because hazardous materials may have been released.

"This is a very difficult day for Edwards and those who knew and respected Dave as a warrior, test pilot and friend," said Maj. Gen. David Eichhorn, the Air Force Flight Test Center commander.

The jet, assigned to the 411th Flight Test Squadron of Edwards' 412th Test Wing, was on a test mission, said Air Force Maj. David Small at the Pentagon. Small did not know the nature of the mission.

The radar-evading F-22s each cost $140 million and are designed for air dominance. The warplanes can carry air-to-air missiles but are capable of ground attack as well.

The $65 billion F-22 program is embattled, with some opponents contending that a different warplane under development, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, is more versatile and less costly at $80 million per plane.

F-22s were grounded for two weeks after one crashed at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada in December 2004. They were cleared again to fly after a review, and an Air Force statement at the time said officials were "highly confident in the design, testing and development" of the aircraft. The pilot in that crash successfully ejected.

The U.S. is committed to 183 F-22s, down from the original plan laid out in the 1980s to build 750.

Lockheed Martin says there are 95,000 jobs at 1,000 companies connected to the F-22.

It is trying to persuade the Pentagon to buy as many as 20 more F-22s. The military is expected to signal its intentions when the 2010 Defense Department budget is released next month.

The F-22 is able to fly at supersonic speeds without using afterburners. That allows it to reach and stay in a battlespace faster and longer without being easily detected.

The fighter, powered by two Pratt & Whitney engines, is 62 feet long, has a wingspan of 44½ feet and is flown by a single pilot.

[vannuys]

Didn't this clown learn the difference between a rudder and an elevator?

I support the troops with my tax dollars-and nothing more than that.

[stevex47]

"I wouldn't even put a F-22 up against an old coldwar mig."

Now come on. The mig wouldn't even see it coming. But the real difference is our pilots and crew's. No one can hold a candle to them.

I'm very sorry family and friends....

[rrozsa]

You know, China, the nation that now literally owns America? And the nation we gave trillions of dollars to so they could build an invincible army to destroy us?

Posted by searingtruth at 11:36 PM : Mar 25, 2009

===================

.... And don't forget the military/nuclear secrets generously shared with them by Pres. Clinton.

[Yes_ABWH_Fan]

F35's have directional microwave jamming pulse emitters powerful enough to knock down an enemy plane by "taking out" his electronics - similar to a nuclear blast EMF pulse. I suspect they were testing a retrofit of a similar system on the F-22 and something went haywire.

[payasyougo]

The radar-evading F-22s each cost $140 million and are designed for air dominance. The warplanes can carry air-to-air missiles but are capable of ground attack as well.

The $65 billion F-22 program is embattled, with some opponents contending that a different warplane under development, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, is more versatile and less costly at $80 million per plane.
-----
Make sure you remember how the defense game works. The F-35 is a lot cheaper until the government commits to it. Then "unanticipated cost overruns" will double the price tag.

Look at any defense program in hindsight. They all do it.

[j_flood]

Condolences to the pilot's family. RIP

[holder133487]

i think they should just wait for the f-35. it's cheaper and more advanced. so why pay more for something that isn't as good?

[searingtruth]

The F-22 is critical to our nations defense against Chinese aggression, which is very soon to come.

You know, China, the nation that now literally owns America? And the nation we gave trillions of dollars to so they could build an invincible army to destroy us?

Think about it.

And weep for our greed and inhumanity. Even though it is far too late.
ST


"I have seen the heavens and the abyss, and right now we can only reach the abyss."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[roadracer9x]

A F15 crashed a short time ago killing a family!!!! Good Point
Posted by dwilson59

The F-15 is an Air Force Fighter, the jet that crashed near San Diego was an F/A-18, a Navy plane.

[dahizzle]

thgdriver, you make absolutely no sense.