LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Ever wonder how an F-22 Raptor can ease in and out of enemy territory and remain unnoticed? Just ask the 1st Equipment Maintenance Squadron Low Observable repair facility.
Low observable is the process of a coating stack being applied on an F-22 that makes it invisible to radar, allowing the aircraft to remain undetected. The advances in LO technologies provide significantly improved survivability and lethality against air-to-air and surface-to-air threats. The 1 EMS Airmen spend 50 to 60 hours a week to accomplish the LO application process.
"It's a constant non-stop process with two different aspects," said Master Sgt. Gray Gehring, 1 EMS LO repair facility superintendent. "First, there is the removal of coatings to access other components of the aircraft, and then we maintain the coatings on a required basis. When the aircraft gets to the point where the coatings are deteriorating, we have to replace it so the aircraft remains stealthy."
When working with the LO application process, personnel must adhere to many safety precautions and hazards and remain cautious. To accomplish the intricate application safely, crews use personnel protective equipment.
"Some of the chemicals we are using are new," Gehring said. "As technology increases, we are changing our processes and receiving new chemicals every day."
Application of the complex system of paints and coatings necessary to meet the F-22's stringent radar cross section requirements require snot only state-of-the-art equipment and hands-on technicians, but also a wide-ranging support system.
"LO is a demanding shop. There's a lot of painting and sanding on different areas of the jet," said Staff Sgt. Brandon Malloy, 1 EMS LO aircraft structural maintenance journeyman.
As superintendent, Gehring said his responsibility is to ensure the nearly 100-person crew, which also includes Airmen from the 192d Fighter Wing of the Virginia Air National Guard, has the proper equipment and materials to maintain the aircraft's stealth signature.
Though the job is very high demanding, the LO shop has the essential personnel to get the job done, said Gehring. He said when he arrived at Langley, the F-22 platform and LO was completely new to him, presenting a new series of maintenance challenges in the form of a sophisticated airpower technology that is "here to stay."
"There is really no place I'd rather be right now than to learn what I'm learning here in the LO shop," he said.