FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2000
Contact: Beth Daley 202-347-1122
Washington, DC -- "The F-22 jet fighter is a misguided weapon procurement that will weaken U.S. military capability," according to Air Force Colonel Riccioni (ret.) who will speak at a briefing on Thursday, June 8. "The F-22 has not demonstrated that it can achieve effective supersonic cruise, is not stealthy and provides only a small step forward in performance over the F-15C fighter jet," he added.
A legendary fighter pilot, aircraft designer and Pentagon insider, Colonel Riccioni analyzed publicly available data for the F-22 and concluded that Congress and the public were being mislead about the technological and military capacities of the jet. Col. Riccioni, who pioneered supersonic cruise technology and managed the design of many supercruise fighter designs, has never spoken publicly on the F-22 or other weapons systems.
Today Representative Pete DeFazio (D-OR) intends to introduce an amendment to the Defense budget bill to cut production funding for the F-22 from ten jets down to six jets as recommended by a May GAO report.
About the Briefing. Colonel Riccioni will brief the press about his findings on thursday, June 8th, 2000 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. The location of the event is the Cabinet Room of the Old Ebbitt Grill at 675 15th Street in downtown Washington, DC. To RSVP or to learn more about the event, contact Beth Daley at 202-466-5539.
About Colonel Everest Riccioni (ret.) Colonel Riccioni pioneered the Lightweight Fighter Program and supersonic cruise technology in the 1970s. He was one of the three legendary “Fighter Mafia” mavericks who forced the Pentagon to produce the F-16 to improve the military’s numerical air superiority. He served in the Air Force for 30 years, completed several stints as a fighter pilot and flew 55 different types of military aircraft over his career. He worked for Northrop Corporation for 17 years analyzing and managing aircraft programs, including the B-2 bomber. He defined the operational role of the B-2 bomber with conventional weapons. In recent years, Riccioni consulted with the GAO, the U.S. Navy, and the Air Force.
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