Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Maintainers with the 27th Aircraft Maintenance Unit out of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., check for structural damages on an F-22 Raptor during Red Flag 17-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 27, 2017. If damages are found, low observable aircraft structure technicians must repair them to ensure the aircraft maintains its stealth capability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)Low observability technicians keep pilots undetected, alive
                        
                        
                        Maintainers with the 27th Aircraft Maintenance Unit out of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., check for structural damages on an F-22 Raptor during Red Flag 17-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 27, 2017. If damages are found, low observable aircraft structure technicians must repair them to ensure the aircraft maintains its stealth capability. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Dunn, 192nd Fighter Wing low observable aircraft structures technician, removes radar absorbent material from an F-22 Raptor during Red Flag 17-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Feb. 3, 2017. Pilot’s missions at Red Flag depend on LO enabled partly by the radar absorbent material. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)Low observability technicians keep pilots undetected, alive
                        
                        
                        Staff Sgt. Zachary Dunn, a 192nd Fighter Wing low observable aircraft structures technician, hammers radar absorbent material from an F-22 Raptor during Red Flag 17-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Feb. 3, 2017. The material was covering a light panel that will later be fixed by 27th Aircraft Maintenance Unit maintainers. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Dunn, 192nd Fighter Wing low observable aircraft structures technician, hammers radar absorbent material from an F-22 Raptor during Red Flag 17-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Feb. 3, 2017. The material was covering a light panel that will later be fixed by  27th Aircraft Maintenance Unit maintainers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)Low observability technicians keep pilots undetected, alive
                        
                        
                        Staff Sgt. Zachary Dunn, a 192nd Fighter Wing low observable aircraft structures technician, hammers radar absorbent material from an F-22 Raptor during Red Flag 17-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Feb. 3, 2017. The material was covering a light panel that will later be fixed by 27th Aircraft Maintenance Unit maintainers. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

LO technicians keep pilots undetected, alivePublished Feb. 17, 2017
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard
                    
                    
                    633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
            **NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFNS)  --**F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II pilots may take the reins of their respective aircraft; however, it takes preparation from outside the cockpit to get them where they need to go undetected.Low observable technology, according to Senior Airman Joshua Moon, a 192nd Fighter Wing LO aircraft structures technician, enhances the multi-role fighter’s stealth capability an important asset in any contingency and at U.S. Air Force training exercises such as Red Flag 17-1.“If the pilot’s seen by radar, he can be shot down,” Moon said. “If he isn’t, he can do his mission, go behind enemy lines, and they’ll never even know he was there until it’s too late. Without us, he’s going to get spotted, or shot down, so lives are at risk when it comes to our job.”Pilots, however, aren’t the only ones who rely on technicians like Moon to repair LO aircraft structures. Before a maintainer can fix certain parts of a fifth-generation aircraft, LO must prepare the jet.“When other people have problems with a jet, it’s going to affect LO,” Moon said, as he pointed to an F-22 in a maintenance hangar. “Right now, something is wrong with a light panel on that jet. Since maintenance needs to get into that panel, we have to pick the radar absorbent material off and clean all the fasteners out so they can fix the light. Once the light is fixed we will re-bind the coating and material again to make it 100 percent ready.”While fixing the light panel was unexpected – it kept the LO team working through the weekend – the technicians did prepare themselves for what Red Flag could entail.“We knew they were going to fly the hell out of the jets because this is a large-scale exercise,” Moon said. “When the pilot flies he’ll bank real hard sometimes, which can tear or rip the radar absorbent material. If there are a lot of damages, the aircraft is easier to detect, so we try to keep those damages to a minimum to where you can’t see it on radar.”For Tech. Sgt. William, the 1st Operations Support Squadron NCO in charge of intelligence analysis, preparation and attention to detail in the LO technicians’ field directly affects what intelligence analysts provide to pilots during mission briefings.“I like to think of it like a triangle between intelligence, maintenance and the pilots,” William said. “We can give them very good information for what they’re going into, but if their jet isn’t performing the way they expect it to, them knowing that information doesn’t necessarily do them any good.”For Moon, pressure doesn’t only come from enabling others to do their jobs within the fifth-generation triangle, but from the realistic threats Red Flag presents.“An exercise like this provides some of the most realistic training our pilots are going to get, so they really need to be able to depend on that jet performing the way they expect it to, so that they can get those realistic lessons learned,” William said. “The way their jet responds in this environment is meant to be the same it would perform in real combat.”Along with combat training, the stealth aircraft are also being tested by radar daily.“At Red Flag, they’re testing our jets by hitting them with radar over the range, so that’s a lot of pressure for us. It’s really important that those jets come back undetected,” said Moon, explaining that if the aircraft came back detected, LO would have to find and fix the issues, which he his team has worked around-the-clock to prevent.“This is training, so lives aren’t actually at risk, but we’re here for a reason,” said Moon of participating in the realistic combat training exercise. “We may be working through the weekend here, but it’s our job and we’re blessed to have it. If we can keep up with the fast pace here, we can keep up anywhere.”F-35 



F-22 



red flag 



ACC 



LO 



JB Langley-Eustis 



nellis afb Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil