Edwards AFB News

Raptor test team wins command-level award

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Hien Q. Vu
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The F-22A Flight Sciences Test Team recently won the 2005 General Bernard P. Randolph Engineering Team Award. This award recognizes the superior performance of an engineering team that significantly contributes to enhancing the Air Force Materiel Command's mission.

The team consisted of 25 members, including military, civilian and contractor.

"We are deeply honored to receive this prestigious award," said Lt. Col. Ray Toth, 411th Flight Test Squadron commander. "It is truly a recognition of the joint effort by military members, civilians and contractors who work together everyday to accomplish the F-22 test mission."

The team achieved major milestones in the F-22 flight test program in 2005. They conducted 210 test missions, over 313 test hours and over 500 test points. The team also successfully executed eight AIM-120 missile shots and seven supersonic Joint Direct Attack Munition separations, the first ever from internal bays.

In addition, the team provided F-22 worldwide deployability and demonstrated safe weapon employment capability from main weapon bays through completion of external fuel tank envelope expansion, doubling F-22 loiter time in a permissive threat environment for time-sensitive targeting.

The team completed external tank qualification and night air-refueling tests with KC-10 and KC-135 tankers, which provided an operational combat radius needed to support the fundamental day and night Global Strike concept.

"Successfully testing new technologies on the F-22 proves challenging, but it is a greatly rewarding experience for all of us to be able to overcome those challenges," said Colonel Toth. "It is our team's objective to provide the warfighters with the best possible weapons, so that they can fight effectively and return home safely."

Team F-22A Flight Sciences Test Team:
David Schofield, Randolph Thompson, James Hughes, Paul Sorokowski, Timothy Vogel, Master Sgt. David Mendoza, Master Sgt. Ronald Scheffler, Maj. Ernest Teichert, Capt. Ian Moreno, Tech. Sgt. Aaron Kigar, Peter Bouras, Bryan Swift, William Kuhlemeier, Sandra Echegaray, Alan Dykhoff, M-Nabil Hamouda, 1st Lt. Jeffrey Raedy, Bogdan Wozniak, Wendy Hashii, Lewis Jurey, Scott Glaser, Capt. George Mellen, Capt. Jason Armstrong, Capt. Kris Cowart, and Capt. Clinton Armani