Politics & Government

Final F-22 Coming Off Lockheed Line

The Raptor took its maiden flight in Marietta in 1997; however, high costs and changes in military requirements after the Cold War brought the fighter jet program to an early end.

The 195th and final F-22 Raptor stealth fighter to be produced will be completed Tuesday at the Lockheed Martin plant in Marietta and delivered in spring 2012.

The final Raptor, AF 09-4195, will be delivered to Langley where it will fly with the 1st Fighter Wing’s 27th Fighter Squadron, the service’s oldest fighter unit, the News Herald reports.

Lockheed originally expected to build more than 1,400 Raptors, but the Navy pulled out of the project shortly after the contract was awarded to Lockheed in 1991, setting a standard of downscaled production for the program, The Marietta Daily Journal says.

Find out what's happening in Mariettawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Raptor took its maiden flight in Marietta in September 1997; however, high costs and changes in military requirements following the Cold War brought down the plane model, Atlanta Business Chronicle says.

Each Raptor carries a price tag of nearly $145 million, Examiner.com reports.

Find out what's happening in Mariettawith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here