Congressman tours base, calls Raptor 'bird in hand'
'Enough support to keep program intact'
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Saturday, April
17, 2004.
By ALLISON GATLIN
Valley Press Staff Writer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDWARDS AFB - Rep. Bill Thomas visited Edwards Air Force Base on Tuesday,
getting a chance to see for himself progress made on infrastructure improvements
and the latest technology under development by the Air Force.
"They have some new stuff to kick tires on now," said the Bakersfield
Republican, who has represented Edwards AFB since he was first elected
in 1979.
The congressman's tour included visits to the F/A-22, Airborne Laser and Global Hawk programs, as well as the Air Force Research Laboratory Propulsion Directorate and NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center.
One of the most high-profile programs in the Air Force, and a top priority at Edwards, the F/A-22 Raptor is undergoing furious testing at the Air Force Flight Test Center in preparation for operational status.
However, increasing costs, developmental setbacks and the changing face of the nation's enemies have made the program a target for criticism. Recently, Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain suggested canceling the Raptor program and using the money to support the war in Iraq.
"I don't want to get into a political debate on that sort of stuff," Thomas said, but voiced concern that such a move would sacrifice long-term gains for short-term relief.
Thomas, who serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he believes there is enough support in Congress to keep the F/A-22 program intact, especially as the aircraft moves closer to deployment and people can see it as viable.
"It's a bird in hand," he said.
Thomas said he was more concerned with compatibility of the F/A-22 and the proposed F-35 joint strike fighter with the Pentagon's vision of a future strike force.
"I feel very good. It's a remarkable aircraft," he said of the F/A-22. Packed with innovative systems, the Raptor is "technically totally cutting-edge."
Airborne laser is "a very interesting program," Thomas said, beginning with the major modifications required for the Boeing 747 used to carry the massive system aloft.
"Then you've got this space technology of shooting lasers out," he said.
The weapons system under development, also known as ABL, uses a high-energy laser beam to destroy a ballistic missile while it is still in the boost phase, shortly after launch.
The laser and its various targeting systems will be mounted aboard the modified Boeing 747 freighter, dubbed the YAL-1A.
Whatever its ultimate use as a weapons system, the ABL should prove beneficial in terms of the scientific challenge posed by the concept, Thomas said. He likened it to the Saturn rocket of the Apollo moon program, in that it could "produce results you're not aware of."
"There could be spin-offs that are beneficial," he said.
Just harnessing and precisely concentrating such a powerful laser beam over great distances could produce capabilities for other applications, he said. For example, laser beams may one day be used to recharge satellite batteries from earth.
Thomas saw some of the improvements being made to the intelligence-gathering capabilities of the Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance vehicle. For example, new software will help to keep the digital platform stable while seeking data.
The futuristic-looking aircraft is a high-altitude, long-endurance, unmanned aerial reconnaissance system designed to provide battlefield commanders with high-resolution, near-real-time imagery of large geographic areas. Operating autonomously, it is capable of flying to 65,000 feet with a range of 14,000 miles and a flight endurance of 40 hours.
"Global Hawk is one of those very interesting projects that got operational before they finished testing on it," Thomas said. This allowed the development team to continue to improve the system by incorporating lessons learned in real-world use.
On the other side of Rogers Dry Lake, Thomas toured the Air Force Research Laboratory, better known as the Rocket Site. He was briefed on the lab's latest developments in rocket technology, such as improvements that can pack the power of a three-stage rocket into a two-stage rocket.
The congressman also visited NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center to see the X-43A hypersonic scramjet. The vehicle last month made the first successful aerial demonstration of a supersonic combustion ramjet engine when it reached Mach 7 over the Pacific Ocean.
A third version of the vehicle is scheduled for a flight next fall when it will attempt to reach Mach 10.
"They're doing really cutting-edge technology," Thomas said. "It's kind of exciting."
Thomas is confident that funding is available for the third flight, but doubtful that NASA will continue the Hyper-X program with larger and faster vehicles, in light of the space agency's shifting priorities to space exploration.
Shifting from the skies to the ground, Thomas reviewed the infrastructure improvements under way across the base, from replacing aged and leaking sewer lines to a new consolidated administration building.
"We're doing a lot of good stuff that makes being out there livable and able to do the work," he said.
agatlin@avpress.com
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