NEW FIGHTER PROJECT LOCKHEED WILL UPGRADE THREE F-22S.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer PALMDALE - Lockheed Martin's Palmdale plant will perform modifications on three F-22 fighters used in flight testing, adding another piece of the program to the High Desert. The Palmdale workers will upgrade the jets' structure and electronics to make them similar to the aircraft now coming out of the production plant in Marietta, Ga. The work will involve only a handful of people and will not result in any additional hires. However, the work will help stabilize the work force on the program. There are about 350 people working on the F-22 program in Palmdale, primarily in the manufacturing of special structural components. ``If all goes well, we could get work on as many as 10 aircraft,'' company spokeswoman Dianne Knippel said. The Air Force wants the aircraft upgraded and sent back to Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. by next year to be used for pilot training. Conducting the work in Palmdale rather than sending the aircraft back to Georgia will save the Air Force money, said Rick Baker, Lockheed Martin's general manager of the Palmdale site. The first of the aircraft to be modified was shown Friday to a group of Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley civic leaders. The group was also shown a declassified de·clas·si·fy tr.v. de·clas·si·fied, de·clas·si·fy·ing, de·clas·si·fies To remove official security classification from (a document). de·clas version of an F-22 flight simulator flight simulator, device providing a controlled environment in which a flight trainee can experience conditions approximating those of actual flight. A simulator generally consists of an enclosure housing a working replica of the interior of the cockpit of an and was run through three battle simulations - an air-to-air combat with four Russian-built fighters, a bombing run Noun 1. bombing run - that part of the flight that begins with the approach to the target; includes target acquisition and ends with the release of the bombs bombing, bombardment - an attack by dropping bombs , and a battle against an integrated air defense system featuring enemy fighters and ground-to-air missiles. The simulations highlighted the F-22's advancement over the current air-to-air superiority fighter, the F-15. The combination of stealthiness stealth·y adj. stealth·i·er, stealth·i·est Marked by or acting with quiet, caution, and secrecy intended to avoid notice. See Synonyms at secret. and advances in electronics and computer integration give pilots ``first look, first shot, first kill'' capability, Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. officials said. The Air Force wants to buy 339 F-22 fighters, which cost $99 million each. Lockheed Martin employs close to 4,000 people in Palmdale and is steadily building up its work force. By year's end, the company will have added 420 people, officials said. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour AV edition -- ran in AV and SAC edition only) A declassified version of the F-22 flight simulator is demonstrated Friday in Palmdale. At the controls is Lew Stults, field representative for U.S. Rep. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon's office, with instructor Dick Mather of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. Lockheed Martin |
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