Editing Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor (section)

===Introduction into service===
[[File:Aircraft Combat Archer (2565196807).jpg|thumb|An F-22 fires an AIM-120 AMRAAM|alt=Jet fighter flying above a streaking missile, which had moments earlier been released by the former.]]

The F-22 underwent extensive testing before its service introduction. While the first production aircraft was delivered to Edwards AFB in October 2002 for IOT&E and the first jet for the 422nd TES at Nellis AFB arrived in January 2003, IOT&E was continually pushed back from its planned start in mid-2003, with mission avionics stability being particularly challenging.{{refn|In 2002–2003, the F-22's software reliability was highly inadequate, needing to initiate an avionics system restart (which took minutes to cycle) every 1.9 hours despite the requirement for "mean-time between instability events" being over 20 hours. The integrated avionics software was frequently "crashing" and requiring in-flight reboots.<ref name="Miller2005pp64-65"/>|group=N}}<ref name="FI_08_Sep_2003">{{cite web |last=Warwick |first=Graham |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/ready-or-not-/50557.article |title=Ready or not... |work=Flight International |date=8 September 2003 |publisher=Reed Business Information <!--|archive-url= |archive-date=-->}}</ref> Following a preliminary assessment, called OT&E Phase 1, formal IOT&E began in April 2004 and was completed in December of that year. This milestone marked the successful demonstration of the jet's air-to-air mission capability, although the jet was more maintenance intensive than expected.<ref name="Miller2005pp64-65">Miller 2005, pp.&nbsp;64-65.</ref> A Follow-On OT&E (FOT&E) in 2005 cleared the F-22's air-to-ground mission capability.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/1008f22/ |title=F-22 Raptor Clears FOT&E |work=Air Force Magazine |date=13 January 2006 |access-date=21 December 2022 |archive-date=21 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221230434/https://www.airandspaceforces.com/1008f22/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The first combat ready F-22 of the 1st Fighter Wing arrived at [[Langley Air Force Base|Langley AFB]], Virginia in January 2005 and that December, the USAF announced that the aircraft had achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) with the 94th Fighter Squadron.<ref name="Tyndall2">{{cite web |url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/132463/f-22a-raptor-goes-operational/ |title=F-22A Raptor goes operational |publisher=U.S. Air Force |date=15 December 2005 |access-date=11 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425021318/http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/132463/f-22a-raptor-goes-operational.aspx |archive-date=25 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The unit subsequently participated in [[Exercise Northern Edge]] 06 in Alaska in June 2006 and Exercise [[Red Flag (USAF)|Red Flag]] 07–2 at Nellis AFB in February 2007, where it demonstrated the F-22's greatly increased air combat capabilities when flying against Red Force [[Aggressor squadron|Aggressor]] F-15s and F-16s with a simulated kill ratio of 108–0. These large force exercises also further refined the F-22's operational tactics and employment.<ref name="afpn_20060623_ad" /><ref name="flag">{{cite magazine |last=Schanz |first=Marc V. |url=http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2007/May%202007/0507world.aspx |title=Aerospace World: Red Flag Raptors |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501092440/http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2007/May%202007/0507world.aspx |archive-date=1 May 2008 |magazine=Air Force Magazine |date=May 2007 |url-status=usurped |access-date=9 February 2008}}</ref>

The F-22 achieved Full Operational Capability (FOC) in December 2007, when General [[John D. W. Corley|John Corley]] of [[Air Combat Command]] (ACC) officially declared the F-22s of the integrated active duty [[1st Fighter Wing]] and [[Virginia Air National Guard]] [[192nd Fighter Wing]] fully operational.<ref>{{cite web |author=Hopper, David |title=F-22s at Langley receive FOC status |url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/124869/f-22s-at-langley-receive-foc-status/ |publisher=U.S. Air Force |date=12 December 2007 |access-date=1 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425011148/http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/124869/f-22s-at-langley-receive-foc-status.aspx |archive-date=25 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> This was followed by an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI) of the integrated wing in April 2008, in which it was rated "excellent" in all categories, with a simulated kill-ratio of 221–0.<ref>{{cite web |last=((2nd Lt. Schultz)) |first=Georganne E. |url=https://www.jble.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/259671/langley-earns-excellent-in-ori/ |title=Langley earns "excellent" in ORI |work=1st Fighter Wing |date=22 April 2007 |access-date=9 May 2010 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422011919/https://www.jble.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/259671/langley-earns-excellent-in-ori/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The fielding of the F-22 with its precision strike capability also contributed to the retirement of the F-117 from operational service in 2008, with the [[49th Fighter Wing]] operating the F-22 for a brief period prior to a series of fleet consolidations to reduce long term operational costs;<ref>{{cite news |last=Topolsky |first=Joshua |url=https://www.engadget.com/2008/03/11/f-117-stealth-fighters-to-make-final-flight-no-one-will-know-abo/ |title=Air Force's stealth fighters making final flights |publisher=CNN |date=11 March 2008}}</ref> further consolidations to improve availability and pilot training were recommended by the Government Accountability Office in 2018.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-18-190 |title=Force Structure: F-22 Organization and Utilization Changes Could Improve Aircraft Availability and Pilot Training (GAO-18-190) |date=19 July 2018 |publisher=U.S. Government Accountability Office}}</ref>