WASHINGTON (AP) -
Facing a mysterious safety problem with the
Air Force's most-prized stealth fighter, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
on Tuesday ordered new flight restrictions on the F-22 and summoned help
from Navy and NASA experts.
Panetta endorsed Air Force
efforts to figure out why some F-22 pilots have experienced dizziness
and other symptoms of an oxygen shortage while flying, but his personal
intervention signaled a new urgency. A secretary of defense does not
normally get involved in a service-specific safety issue unless it is of
great concern.
The Air Force grounded its
F-22s for four months last year because of the oxygen-deficit problem,
and now some pilots are refusing to fly them. An Air Force advisory
panel headed by a retired Air Force general studied the problem for
seven months and reported in March that it could not pinpoint the root
cause. It endorsed a plan keeping the aircraft flying, however, with
pilots using special sensors, filters and other safety precautions.
Panetta was briefed on the
problem last Friday, just days after a CBS "60 Minutes" report featured
two F-22 pilots who said that during some flights they and other pilots
have experienced oxygen deprivation, disorientation and other problems.
They cited safety concerns as well as the potential for long-term
personal health issues.
Asked why Panetta was
acting now, Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said the
defense chief has been aware of the F-22 problem "for quite some time."
In light of the recent deployment of several F-22s to the Persian Gulf
and because of pilots' expressions of alarm, Panetta chose to "dive a
little more deeply into the issue."
In a letter to Air Force
Secretary Michael Donley, Panetta ordered that F-22 flights remain
"within proximity of potential landing locations" so that pilots can
land quickly in the event they experience an oxygen-deficit problem.
Kirby said the specifics of those flight restrictions are to be set by
individual F-22 pilots and commanders.
Panetta also told Donley to
accelerate the installation of an automatic backup oxygen system in
each F-22. The first of those is to be ready for use by December, Kirby
said.
And the Pentagon chief ordered the Air Force to call on the expertise of the Navy and NASA in pursuit of a solution.
Panetta's actions have no
immediate effect on U.S. combat operations, since the F-22 is not in
Afghanistan. But Panetta said the plane would give up long-distance air
patrol missions in Alaska until the planes have an automatic backup
oxygen system installed or until Panetta agrees the F-22 can resume
those flights. Other aircraft will perform those missions in the
meantime.
Panetta's chief spokesman,
George Little, told reporters that Panetta supports the Air Force's
efforts to get to the bottom of the problem.
"However, the safety of our pilots remains his first and foremost concern," Little said.
Little did not rule out
Panetta taking additional measures. Asked whether Panetta considered
grounding the fleet again, Little said Tuesday's less drastic moves are
"the prudent course of action at this time," adding that Panetta will
keep a close eye on the situation, "and all options remain on the table
going forward."
In a conference call with
reporters, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.,
said they were briefed by the Air Force and told that the number of
pilots who came forward with complaints has risen from two to nine.
Warner called Panetta's action a "step in the right direction" but said
questions still remain.
"This is a confidence issue that has to be addressed fully and transparently by the Air Force," Warner said.
The F-22 Raptor, which has
never flown in combat, recently deployed to the United Arab Emirates for
what the Pentagon called routine partnering with a Middle East ally.
Little, the spokesman, told reporters that Panetta's order to impose new
flight restrictions would not affect flight operations during the UAE
deployment.
The plane, conceived during
the Cold War as a leap-ahead technology that could penetrate the most
advanced air defenses, is seen by some as an overly expensive luxury not
critical to fighting current conflicts. The fleet of 187 F-22s - the
last of which was fielded just two weeks ago - cost an average of $190
million each.
Panetta's predecessor as
Pentagon chief, Robert Gates, persuaded Congress to cap production of
the F-22 earlier than originally planned. He saw it as primarily of use
against a "near-peer" military competitor like China, noting that the
plane did not fly a single combat mission during a decade of war in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
With its stealth design,
the F-22 is built to evade radar and has advanced engines that allow it
to fly at faster-than-sound speeds without using afterburners. It
manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, describes the plane as "the only fighter
capable of simultaneously conducting air-to-air and air-to-ground combat
missions with near impunity."
The fleet of 170 F-22s is
stationed at six U.S. bases: Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska:
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.;
Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; and Tyndall
Air Force Base, Fla.
F-22 pilots are trained at
Tyndall. Flight testing is at Edwards Air force Base, Calif., and
operational testing and tactics development is performed at Nellis.
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