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The Last Manufactured F-22 Welcomed at J-BER

By Bronwyn Saito

Channel 2 News

7:28 PM AKDT, May 5, 2012

ANCHORAGE, Alaska

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The last F-22 Raptor produced was welcomed by the U.S. Air Force Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Saturday, May 5.

Lt. Col. Paul Moga accepted the "keys" to the fighter jet in Marietta, GA., where, back in December, it was the last one off the assembly line. 

Moga then flew the Raptor cross-country from Marietta to J-BER in a non-stop, eight hour flight. 

The jet, tail number 4195, will be flown as the flagship for the 525th Fighter Squadron, the "Bulldogs."

The F-22 is the world's first fifth-generation fighter jet and Moga tell Channel 2 News that it's arrival to J-BER will bring a new realm of technology to the Alaska base.

"It's a 5th generation aircraft but the reality is that this craft can do what no other aircraft can do," he says.  "And that technology is in the hands of theU.S. Air Forceand theU.S. Air Forceonly."

In May of last year, a fleet of F-22 Raptors was grounded following 12 reports that pilots experienced hypoxia-like symptoms.  The fleet was authorized to resume flying four months later.