Secrecy surrounds F-22 crash.

Edwards F-22 Pilot Did Not Eject: "Some senior U.S. Air Force officials were notified yesterday that there was no pilot ejection from the F-22 that crashed near Edwards AFB Base.

The Lockheed Martin pilot was declared dead at the hospital which seemed to indicate he was killed after ejection, but officials at Edwards said that statement was simply a pro forma statement for the investigation. USAF officials said the report of no ejection came soon after the crash, but almost immediately a complete security blanket was dropped over the investigation and no more data has been revealed.

(Via AviationWeek.com Defense Channel.)

Clinton: N. Korea rocket is 'provocative'

Clinton: N. Korea rocket is 'provocative': "North Korea has positioned what is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile on its launch pad, a U.S. counter-proliferation official said on Wednesday.

"

(Via CNN.com.)

N. Korea defends right to 'explore space'

N. Korea defends right to 'explore space': "North Korea defended Thursday its right to explore outer space after reports that a rocket, believed by the United States to be a long-range missile, had been positioned on its launch pad.

"

(Via CNN.com.)

Breaking News: F-22 Pilot Killed In California Crash Identified.

Lockheed Martin just realeased this statement:

8:15 PM CDT

Lockheed Martin test pilot David Cooley, 49, was killed today at about 10 a.m. Pacific time in the crash of an F-22 aircraft flying on a test mission from Edwards AFB, California.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of David and our concerns, thoughts and prayers at this time are with his family.

David joined Lockheed Martin in 2003 and was a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He worked at the F-22 Combined Test Force, where a team of Lockheed Martin and Air Force pilots conduct F-22 aircraft testing.

Edwards AFB released this statement:


F-22A crash claims life of Edwards pilot

95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

3/25/2009 - EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An Air Force F-22A crash today claimed the life of a USAF veteran and Lockheed Martin test pilot.

David Cooley, 49, of Palmdale, Calif., died when the F-22A he was piloting crashed northeast of Edwards AFB.

Cooley worked as a test pilot with Lockheed Martin, and was employed at the 411th Flight Test Squadron, 412th Test Wing, on Edwards AFB. Cooley joined Lockheed Martin in 2003 and was a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He worked at the F-22 Combined Test Force, where a team of Lockheed Martin and Air Force pilots conduct F-22 aircraft testing.

"This is a very difficult day for Edwards and those who knew and respected Dave as a warrior, test pilot and friend," said Maj Gen David Eichhorn, Air Force Flight Test Center commander. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Dave and his family as we struggle through, and do all we can to support them."

At approximately 10 a.m. this morning Edwards received word that the F-22A had gone down 35 miles northeast of the base. First responders transported Cooley from the crash scene to Victor Valley Community Hospital in Victorville, where he was pronounced dead.

A board of officers is investigating the accident through an Accident Investigation Board, whose findings will be released to the public upon completion.

Base officials stress that the accident site is remote and may contain hazardous materials released from the crash, and ask that individuals refrain from entering the area until the full investigation has been completed, and debris removed from the scene.

USAF PHOTO:

Air Force Week Los Angeles
Dave Cooley explains to Grant Ivey how the F-22 Raptor simulator operates during the Air Force Expo at Hollywood and Highland Boulevard in Los Angeles on Nov. 14. Air Force Week Mr. Cooley is an F-22 Raptor test pilot for Lockheed Martin, and Mr. Ivey is the president of Navy Days-LA. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios)

F-22 Crashes in California/Pilot's Fate Still Unknown

UPDATE: 8:00 PM CDT

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – One of the Air Force's top-of-the-line F-22 fighter jets crashed Wednesday in the high desert of Southern California. There was no immediate word on whether the pilot ejected.

The F-22A Raptor crashed 35 miles northeast of Edwards Air Force Base, Pentagon spokesman Gary Strassburg said. The Bureau of Land Management identifies the area as Harper Dry Lake, a vast and empty expanse of sometimes marshy flat land.

Rescue crews were at the site in the afternoon but there was no information on the status of the pilot, said Lt. Col. Karen Platt, an Air Force spokeswoman at the Pentagon.

The crash occurred at 10 a.m., said Airman 1st Class William O'Brien, a spokesman at Edwards.

Editors notes:

Reports from the public in the area at the time of the crash described what sounded like a "very loud sonic boom" which are common to the area.

According to early pressreports, the crash site is near Harper Dry Lake, a remote area located southwest of the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake ranges.

Not much is known about the dry lake other than it was used by Howard Hughes in the 40s for aircraft testing and was the proposed site for Lockheed's cancelled spaceplane proposal Venture Star.

Jack Northrop also flew prototypes of his flying wing aircraft out of a landing strip ( now abandoned) at Harper Dry Lake.

Harper Dry Lake on Google Earth: