The F-22 Raptor is now operational.

From The Mudville Gazette:

Langley AFB Virginia, home of the First Fighter Wing, is now the home of the Air Force's first operational F22 aircraft.

The 27th Fighter Squadron -- the Air Force’s oldest continuous fighter squadron -- will be the first unit to transition to the Raptor. It is a job the squadron knows well. The squadron was the first to switch to the F-15 Eagle, the Air Force’s premier fighter since the early 1970s.

”We can go against threats that F-16 (Fighting Falcons) and F-15s wouldn’t even think about trying to attack,” said Lt. Col. James Hecker, 27th Fighter Squadron commander.

By using today’s technology and smart weapons, he said, the F/A-22 specializes in placing ordnance on coordinates. In other words, he does not have to follow the bomb to the target. The aircraft’s technology takes care of that.

Combine that with stealth, speed and a radar-absorbing paint scheme, and the Raptor will prove a tough customer for the enemy.

“In boxing, if you fought a man you couldn’t see, he’d hit you all day,” the colonel said. That is what the Raptor does.

From certain angles, this plane sort of reminds me of spaceships from old time moving picture shows. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Obviously, I am typing about technological progress here. I am fairly certain what the future holds for the culture.