F-22 Raptors stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, that were evacuated to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, ahead of Hurricane Michael arrived at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018, where they will operate temporarily and continue to train to provide combat air power for America. US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Derek Seifert
Business Insider: Lockheed engineers will determine the fate of the F-22s ravaged by Hurricane Michael at Tyndall Air Base
The F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets left behind at Tyndall Air Base, which was devastated by Hurricane Michael's rampage across Florida, will be inspected by Lockheed Martin structural engineers.
Tyndall Air Base serves as a critical training and maintenance ground for about 50 F-22s, or nearly a third of all of the ultra-capable, ultra-expensive air superiority jets.
Initial reports indicated as many as 17 of the stealth jets, worth over $1 billion, had been damaged, but newer assessments say the damage was much less severe, and the planes can likely be salvaged.
Some of the F-22s made it out, but with the US's top F-22 training grounds wiped nearly off the map, it's unclear when the US's top fighter will get back on track.
The F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets left behind at Tyndall Air Base when Hurricane Michael damaged or destroyed virtually every building on site will be visited by structural engineers from Lockheed Martin, the defense contractor tweeted.
Tyndall Air Base serves as a critical training and maintenance ground for about 50 F-22s, or nearly a third of all of the world's most capable air superiority jets near Panama City, Florida, Dallas News, who first reported the story, said.
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Update #1: Engineers with Fort Worth-based Lockheed Martin top assess hurricane damage to F-22s (Dallas News)
Update #2: Fate of Tyndall Air Force Base F-22 Raptors still unknown post-Hurricane Michael (Melissa Nelson Gabriel, Pensacola News Journal)
WNU Editor: The U.S. Air Force still has a communications black-out on how many F-22s were damaged/destroyed from Hurricane Michael. This announcement that Lockheed engineers are now going to examine these F-22s only tells me that there is a serious problem, and it will be a while before we know the details on how bad the damage is.
