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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| F-22 Raptor Coating Case Goes To Trial |
| 2009-11-15 |
| Posted by:crosspatch |
| #4 So, give Gates credit for canceling the -22 assembly line? |
| Posted by: Mizzou Mafia 2009-11-15 15:51 |
| #3 If you have to re-paint every panel and fastener opened for maintenance I can see why the maintenance hours. And you KNOW the leadership will not allow scruffy looking AC even if the coating does not effect the low observable properties very much. |
| Posted by: tipover 2009-11-15 13:19 |
| #2 ...The original coatings on the B-2 turned out to be pretty much useless in real service (in some cases requiring a near complete reapply after every flight), but since they came online the USAF has steadily increased their strength and durability. On the other hand, it's never going to be what they wanted. What I'm hearing from friends at Langley AFB (1 Fighter Wing, three squadrons of -22s) is that there are some issues with the coatings not holding up under wear and tear, but nothing that sounds as bad as this. The bottom line though is that as the article mentions, it's more design than the coatings. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2009-11-15 05:40 |
| #1 It would be interesting to see who else's stealth coating technology has similar problems. |
| Posted by: gorb 2009-11-15 03:48 |