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| F-22 Raptor to 'debut' with Super Bowl flyover |
| 2005-02-04 |
| You'll be able to see your tax dollars at work at the Super Bowl. Or at least above the venue. The Air Force will be showing off its pricey new FA22 Raptor stealth fighter Sunday. Two of the planes from Florida's 43rd Air Force Fighter Squadron will participate in pre-game ceremonies. The first Raptors became operational just last month. The jets cost $133 million apiece and have been the target of congressional budget cutters. Air Force officials hope the Super Bowl exposure will help persuade Congress to order more of the planes. The Pentagon recently decided to slash production to about 180 Raptors. The Air Force would like at least double that number. Don't forget: At halftime this year we'll be seeing Paul McCartney's nipples. |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #8 I doubt a Cobra could carry enough rounds to fill a football field, but an AC-130 probably could. |
| Posted by: Spot 2005-02-04 5:17:36 PM |
| #7 The groundskeeper would be apoplectic - plays hell with the turf, y'know, lol! I saw a demo of two miniguns attached to a Cobra down at Ft [mumble] when they were being initially rolled out and the claim of putting a round in every square foot of a football field in 10 seconds (120' x 300' = 36000 sq ft / 4,000 rpm = 9 seconds, assuming perfect aim tracking) certainly seemed believable. The Snake appeared to back up when both guns went active (momentarily lost in a local cloud of smoke not dissipated by the blades!) - and the target area looked like liquefied soil at a rapid boil. Stunning. We're talking major skidmarks, here. Quite a sight back ~35 yrs ago, I assure you. The burrrrrrrrip! of a mini is the most welcome sound imaginable - if you're US. Must be the ultimate sound of terror if you're them. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-02-04 3:51:37 PM |
| #6 A lot sexier than Janet Jackson's boob, if ya ask me. ...but enough about Justin Timberlake. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-02-04 3:38:07 PM |
| #5 I'm with Shipman. I always hear them using the "football field" standard to describe the amount of fire put out by an AC-130. This is a chance to see some evidence... |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2005-02-04 3:33:03 PM |
| #4 That was a boob? Could have fooled me. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2005-02-04 3:25:43 PM |
| #3 I'd rather see an AC-130 demo during halftime. Baja Florida would love it. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-02-04 3:18:52 PM |
| #2 A lot sexier than Janet Jackson's boob, if ya ask me. |
| Posted by: Matt 2005-02-04 2:54:00 PM |
| #1 The Air Force will be showing off its pricey new FA22 Raptor stealth fighter Sunday. More pr0n for this years game, I see. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-02-04 2:37:04 PM |