(Image: NASA)
At an eye-watering $138 million a piece, losing a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, the US Air Force’s fifth-generation air superiority fighter, is a costly affair for the military (and sadly accidents have claimed several lives to date). But losing 13 of the ultra-secret, very expensive stealth jets would be unthinkable.
For that reason, NASA came to the rescue of America’s 1st Fighter Wing (1 FW) early last month as Hurricane Hermine swept towards Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. The above photograph shows 13 F-22s crammed into the NASA Langley Research Center’s Category 2 rated hurricane-proof hangar.
Like a high-tech jigsaw puzzle, the fighters were squeezed in around the impressive form of a C-130 Hercules transport and several other aircraft. All in all, some 22 planes were photographed sheltering in the hangar as the hurricane approached.
Thankfully, by the time Hurricane Hermine reached Virginia, its intensity had been downgraded to that of a tropical storm, Foxtrot Alpha reported. But with its 13 Raptors totaling an estimated $1.8 billion, the 1st Fighter Wing clearly wasn’t taking any chances. Luckily NASA had space next door. As NASA Langley tweeted on September 2, 2016: “Happy to help out our neighbors! Your fighters look mighty nice in our hangar. Let’s all be safe this weekend.”
The Hulk of F-22 Raptor 4001 at Hill AFB in Utah
(Image: via Thomas Wharton/F-16.net)
As an aside, the photograph above shows the gutted hulk of an early pre-production Raptor in use as a battle damage repair (BDR) trainer at Hill AFB in Utah. The aircraft, known as Raptor 4001, was one of eight engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) airframes. It was retired from flying duties in 2000 after completing its scheduled tests and is looking decidedly sorry for itself nowadays. Thankfully the operational F-22s pictured top lived to fly another day.
Related: Historic Research Aircraft in the NASA Dryden Boneyard
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