F-22 Pilots Told to Stop Wearing Pressure Vest Routinely

The U.S. Air Force has instructed pilots of the F-22 Raptor to stop wearing a pressure vest during routine flights as the service continues to investigate oxygen- deprivation incidents on the Lockheed Martin Corp. fighter jet.

"Recent testing has identified some vulnerability and reliability issues in the upper pressure garment worn by F-22 pilots," Lieutenant Colonel Edward Sholtis, a spokesman for the Air Combat Command, said today in an e-mailed statement. He said the Air Force is working to correct the problem.

The Air Force has been trying to figure out why F-22 pilots have suffered from hypoxia-like symptoms that include dizziness and disorientation.

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