"Three years after the U.S. Air Force added an A to highlight the
F/A-22 Raptor s ability to drop bombs, the service is dropping the extra
letter from the stealthy jet s designator.
The plane, which is expected to officially enter service in the coming
weeks, will henceforth be called the F-22A with the trailing letter
indicating a first variant, not an extra role.
Gen. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff, who is said to have been
unhappy with the F/A-22 moniker, announced the renaming in a Dec. 12
speech to a U.S. Air National Guard senior leadership conference in
Baltimore, Md.