Crash Probe Grounds All Advanced Stealth Jets

Flights of a next-generation stealth fighter jet were grounded nationwide Tuesday while investigators at Nellis Air Force Base combed the wreckage of one that crashed during testing, the Air Force said.

The pilot of the F/A-22 Raptor ejected shortly before the crash Monday and was taken to a hospital. He was not seriously hurt, said Capt. Maureen Schumann, an Air Force spokeswoman.

Schumann said Raptors nationwide have been temporarily prohibited from flying while the crash -- the first of an Air Force F/A-22 -- is investigated. It was not immediately known what caused the crash or when the planes would resume flying, she said.

It was the second crash involving a fighter at Nellis in as many months, Schumann said. A Navy F-18 went down Nov. 9 just north of the base. The pilot of that aircraft also ejected.

The Raptor crash comes at a critical time for the costly F/A-22 program, which is in operational trials intended to lead to deployment with combat units.

Many questions have been raised about the need for the program and the cost of the planes -- $130 million apiece.

Unlike its predecessor, the F-15 Eagle, the F/A-22 can fly at supersonic speeds for long ranges. But critics have said the military’s current fighter jets have proven capable of matching every air force and air defense network they have faced.

Air Force and Lockheed executives defend the program, calling it essential to providing an overwhelming response to future military threats.