Crew chief Staff Sgt. Adam Murtishaw does a post flight inspection on an F-22A Raptor at Langley AFB after a Dec. 14 mission. The 27th Fighter Squadron earned initial operating capability today, which means the stealth jet is combat ready. Sergeant Murtishaw is with the 27th...

An F-22A Raptor #91-4003 is refueled by a KC-135R Stratotanker from the 434th Air Refueling Wing, Air Force Reserve Command, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind. [USAF photo]

Lockheed-Boeing-General Dynamics YF-22 Raptor at the USAF National Museum of the at Dayton, Ohio. [USAF photo]

The Wright B Flyer hangs above the YF-22 Raptor in the Modern Flight Gallery at the National Museum of at the USAF museum in Dayton Ohio. [U.S. Air Force photo]

Gen. Ronald Keys and Brig. Gen. Burton Fields answer questions during a press conference to announce the F-22A Raptor's initial operating capability today. General Keys is the commander of Air Combat Command. General Fields is the commander of the 1st Fighter Wing. [U.S. Air...

Lt. Col. James Hecker flies over Fort Monroe (Virgina, USA) before delivering the first operational F-22A Raptor #03-4042 to its permanent home at Langley Air Force Base, Va., on May 12. This is the first of 26 Raptors to be delivered to the 27th Fighter Squadron. The Raptor...

This F-22A #03-4046 from the 27th Fighter Squadron went to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, in 2005 for live weapons training. [U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Samuel Rogers]

An F/A-22 Raptor, a vintage F-4 Phantom II and a P-51 Mustang fly a heritage fly-over during the Aviation Nation 2005 air show. [U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Demetrius Lester]