ELMENDORF AIRFORCE BASE – A few months ago, ABC Alaska News told you that the F-15s were moving out of Alaska, replacing them are the bigger and badder F-22 Raptor. Elmendorf Air Force Base will get the first wave next week – But, on Wednesday we got to see what they're all about.

Elmendorf will become the first operational base to have F-22s, outside of the lower 48 – only Langley, Virgina has 'em now. And on Wednesday, ABC Alaska Reporter, James Sears, became very familiar with the newest fighter model.

Say Hello to the next generation in air-dominance – the F-22 Raptor. “It's got things that've been done in other airplanes, but never in one airplane before,” the F-22 Marketing Manager of Lockheed Martin, Jim Conlin said. It's sleek, aerodynamic designs got it all...stealth, super-cruise, maneuverability, integrated avionics and improved supportability.

“Stealth, gives you the opportunity of seeing the other guy in the battle ground and him not seeing you and you can be ninja-like out in the battle space,” Conlin said. And the F-22s integrated avionics gives it first look, first shot, first kill capability. Conlin added, “the integrated avionics gives you a God's eye view of everything that's going on, you can see everything out there and you've got so much data you can pass it on and make other airplanes better because of the data you got.”

And ABC Alaska's Reporter got to fly one, but, it was a simulated flight experience, in a flight demonstrator...we were flying at 40-thousand feet. Over the Deserts of Nevada, the crafts design hid our radar signature until it was too late. We launched missiles at the bad guys, dropped bombs on enemy targets and just plain cruised around. ABC Alaska's Photographer, Nick Swann, even got to jump in on the action.

The F-22 can not be matched by any know projected fighter aircraft, and developers say the F-22 is a revolutionary step to replacing the 30-year old F-15s.

By this summer, the Air Force expects to have 36 of the bad boys at Elmendorf Air force Base.

Reported by: James Sears