New bird, same mission
Air Force crews learning ins, outs of arming Raptors

By Laura London, Staff Writer
Alamogordo Daily News

Weapons load crews at Holloman Air Force Base are hard at work becoming proficient in loading F-22s.

"Our guys are still learning, still getting trained," Sgt. Stephen Polk, weapons load crew expediter, said Wednesday.

The Raptor can carry two AIM-9 missiles, or Sidewinders, and three AIM-120s, according to Polk. He explained the heat-seeking Sidewinders are for close range air-to-air combat while the AIM-120s are medium range air-to-air missiles.

"It can have a total of five missiles, plus the gun system," Polk said.

Airmen were practicing loading missiles onto the Raptor Wednesday. Polk said the missiles the men were loading were filled with cement rather than live ammunition. He said accidents rarely happen, thanks to safeguarding measures in place during training. At deployed locations, he said trainers watch load crews carefully to guard against mishaps.

Staff Sgt. Brandon Schwendenman, weapons load teacher, explained the airmen were doing a quick load Wednesday that is, just two Sidewinders rather than a full complement of weaponry. In addition to the Raptor's gun system and missiles, the plane can also carry a 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition, which is a GPS-guided bomb.

Schwendenman estimated the Sidewinders weigh about 300 pounds, and the AIM-120s even more.

"We need three guys to load a missile," Polk observed.

Three airmen gingerly positioned each missile into place on the aircraft.

"That guy is connecting the missile to the rail so it can talk to the aircraft," Polk said.

Polk explained that the missiles have components in them that communicate with the F-22. Once the missile's seeker locks onto a target, it communicates that to the Raptor's central processing unit. The information is conveyed to the pilot on a screen in the cockpit so the pilot knows when to fire for a successful hit on target.

As a documentary film crew from Discovery Channel Canada filmed, the load crew completed the quick load in just a few minutes. Schwendenman said the allotted time to complete a full load on the F-22 with bombs as well as missiles is an hour and 40 minutes.

"It usually takes us about 45 minutes to an hour," he said.

Schwendenman said missiles are positioned lower on the F-22 than on other planes, like the F-16 and F-15, so airmen don't have to lift them as high. He said the biggest challenge comes when loading bombs and the crew has to use a jammer, which is like a motorized cart for carrying bombs.

"The three people must have trust between them," Schwendenman said.

He explained the person operating the jammer cannot see what he is connecting to while loading the bomb and must rely on the other two airmen helping.

After the crew finished loading Wednesday, Schwendenman walked around the aircraft carrying what appeared to be a laptop computer case. Polk explained once the aircraft is loaded, the load crew chief examines everything to make sure the Raptor is properly prepared for flight and fight.

"It's all controlled by a checklist. It lets him know what to look for," Polk said, indicating the case Schwendenman carried.

"It's a very large digital checklist."

Polk explained that the missiles have components in them that communicate with the F-22. Once the missile's seeker locks onto a target, it communicates that to the Raptor's central processing unit. The information is conveyed to the pilot on a screen in the cockpit so the pilot knows when to fire for a successful hit on target.