F-22 fighters to call Nellis home by 2002

The Air Force has confirmed that the next generation of fighter jets -- the F-22 Raptor -- will be landing at Nellis Air Force Base as early as 2002.

The Air Force has concluded an environmental impact statement and determined that the pollution and noise caused by the training program will not be significant.

Seventeen Raptors will be housed at Nellis over the next seven years: six aircraft by 2002, two more by 2003 and nine more by 2008.

The addition of the fighters will bring 367 more people to the base and establish the Force Development Evaluation program for training. Weapons school training will follow by 2008.

"What this really means for the Air Force is we are going to have an aircraft that will maintain air superiority," said Nellis spokesman Mike Estrada. "The testing is vital for pilots based on what we're seeing in other nations.

"We want to be the meanest, biggest gorilla in the jungle because that saves American lives."

According to the environmental impact statement, the F-22 training at Nellis "would not change current conditions ... for airspace management, air quality, hazardous materials and waste. ..."

While the statement says the training will increase aircraft noise and air pollutants, it maintains that the effects will not be significant.

The F-22 was designed to replace the aging F-15 as the Air Force's premier fighter. It has stealth capabilities and is the first fighter that can cruise at supersonic speed without an afterburner, according to the Air Force.

It also possesses a sophisticated sensor that allows the pilot to track, identify and shoot threatening targets before they detect the F-22, Air Force officials say.

The high-tech jet is expected to be the most expensive ever, as much as $200 million a plane by some estimates, but it still faces hurdles in Congress for total funding.

Last year Congress allocated $18.6 million for the construction of a maintenance hangar, parts warehouse and fabrication shop at Nellis specifically for the F-22.

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