Air Force Secretary James Roche acknowledged March 17 that the F/A-22 Raptor may not be ready to begin a key testing phase in two weeks as planned.

"I think it's iffy," Roche told the Defense Writers Group.

Defense acquisition officials are scheduled to meet March 22 to determine whether the F/A-22 is ready to start its initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) March 31. Tom Christie, the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation, has warned that the Raptor may have trouble sticking to its test schedule (DAILY, Jan. 22).

IOT&E is to pave the way for a December 2004 decision on whether to begin full-rate production.

Roche said the F/A-22 has overcome many of the problems that have plagued parts of the aircraft, including the canopy and vertical fin. But he said test flight rates continue to be lower than desired. The General Accounting Office said in a recent report that test pilots could fly only about 53 percent of their planned flights from October 2003 to January 2004, with maintenance problems being a major culprit.

Despite the F/A-22's problems, Roche defended the need for the Lockheed Martin-built aircraft, which is designed to replace the Boeing F-15. Responding to the GAO report's assertion that the Air Force needs to make a new business case for the F/A-22, which was conceived during the Cold War (DAILY, March 16), Roche said the Raptor will provide improved capabilities against moving targets and advanced surface-to-air missiles. In addition, the F/A-22's speed will allow the Raptor to position itself for a second shot against a cruise missile, something other planes generally cannot do.

Besides planning to improve the F/A-22's air-to-ground capability through a series of development spirals that are to be implemented from 2007 to 2015, the Air Force continues to explore an "FB-22-like animal" as a potential "bridge" between the current bomber force and a next-generation long-range strike platform, Roche said. After one or two more years of study, Roche expects the Air Force to make a decision on whether to set up an office to pursue a bridge bomber.

As a "regional bomber," the FB-22 would have about 75 percent of the range of the B-2 bomber, Roche said.

Beyond the possible bridge bomber, the Air Force plans to start developing a new long-range strike platform in 2012-2015 and begin fielding it in 2025-2030. The service recently announced it will conduct a study, or analysis of alternatives, on options for meeting the long-range strike requirement (DAILY, March 4).

F-15C 'Golden Eagle' eyed