Software Glitch Risked Loss of 6 F-22 = $1 Billion US

[Graybeard]

This is from a CNN transcript of Feb 24:

"ROBERTS: Twenty five years from development to deployment, the F-22 Raptor is the most advanced fighting machine in the air. But it was no match for a computer glitch that left six of them high above the Pacific Ocean, deaf, dumb and blind as they headed to their first deployment. So what happened? We turn to a man who's at home in the cockpit, Retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. Don, let me set the scene. These F-22s, eight of them, were headed from Hickam (ph) Air Force base in Hawaii to an (INAUDIBLE) Air Force base in Japan. They were approaching the international date line, pick it up from there."

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0702/24/tww.01.html

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The price of $120 Million each they used in the show may be low. I've seen figures as high as $350 Million each. I've also seen pix of one where the pilot couldn't open the canopy, and neither could anybody on the ground. After 7 hours, they finally cut open the $275,000 canopy with a fireman's power saw.

We American taxpayers sure aren't getting our money's worth..

GB

[Airbubba]

There was a similar software glitch in the F-16 fly-by-wire software years ago. A sign was missed in the nav software and reportedly the FBW thought the aircraft had rolled inverted when you crossed the equator. I believe this bug was caught early in the development in a simulator session.

Even today, our airliner FMC's with a primitive interface and millions of hours in use still come up with anomalies like LNAV turns in the wrong direction and mysterious graphic displays on some approaches.

Don't know if the F-22 is worth the money but, like the B-1, it's a heck of an airshow act.

[fox niner]

and did they already attempt an equator crossing with the f22?

[Wader2]

I guess they did.

And I guess it was discussed on pprune too;

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=265757&highlight=f22+software


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