Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson looks at the aftermath of Hurricane Michael from a CV-22 Osprey above Tyndall Air Force Base Sunday. With her is John Henderson, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and energy. (Senior Airman Joseph Pick/Air Force)
Popular Mechanics: More Than a Dozen F-22s May Have Been Damaged or Destroyed by Hurricane Michael
The planes were grounded by maintenance issues and unable to escape.
The U.S. Air Force is assessing what damage more than a dozen F-22 Raptor fighters suffered when Tyndall Air Force Base sustained a direct hit from Hurricane Michael. Up to $2 billion in fighter jets were trapped on the ground because of maintenance issues and forced to ride out the Category 4 hurricane. Photographs show the hangars where F-22s were parked suffered severe damage.
First, the good news: Although Tyndall Air Force Base took a hard hit from the hurricane, all 3,600 military personnel and their families living on the base were successfully evacuated beforehand. The 93 Air Force personnel who stayed behind to keep an eye on the base are all safe and accounted for.
On the other hand: Up to 17 of Tyndall’s F-22s might have sustained damage or been destroyed during the storm. The aircraft, each of which cost $150 million, were unable to escape with the rest of the base’s F-22 fleet to Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The jets left behind were parked inside hangars and officials hoped for the best.
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WNU Editor: Some reports are saying that the damage was not that bad .... Air Force: Hurricane damage to Tyndall F-22s ‘less than we feared,’ but unknown how many will fly again (Air Force Times). More here .... F-22s Left Behind At Florida Base in Better Shape Than Feared After Hurricane (Newsmax). More here .... Air Force believes all F-22 jets that were left behind at Tyndall will fly again after Hurricane Michael (Washington Examiner)
More News On Reports That A Number Of F-22 Raptors May Have Been Damaged Or Destroyed By Hurricane Michael
Air Force Still Mum on How Many F-22s Damaged in Hurricane -- Military.com
10 Percent of Critical F-22 Fleet Reportedly Damaged or Destroyed by Hurricane Michael -- PJ Media
F-22s left at Tyndall likely damaged by massive hurricane -- We Are The Mighty
Nearly 10 Percent of the US F-22 Inventory Was Damaged or Destroyed in Hurricane Michael -- The Diplomat
US Air Force's F-22, F-35 stealth fighters devastated by mother nature and freak accidents -- Business Insider
Military leaders assess Tyndall AFB damage as congressmen push for rebuild -- Stars and Stripes
The Decimation Of Tyndall Air Base’s F-22 Fleet Couldn’t Have Come At Worse Time -- Task & Purpose
4 comments:
The stupidity of this debacle is breathtaking.
The USAF based a large percentage of our most precious fighters in a known hurricane state, with *no plan at all* to extricate them when a hurricane was about to hit.
Just batten down the hatches and let "Inshallah" take over.
Officers from the top down, need to be charged, demoted and discharged in disgrace, if not jailed, for gross negligence.
We already have not enough F-22...
Well, we shouldn't be subjected to any more stories of "parts are in short supply, therefore we......."[fill in the blank].
Sort of funny considering the tomahawk missle attack on syria bore less results
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