F-22
Raptor
F-22 Photo Gallery
The Lockheed F-22 Raptor, to be in service
the United States Air Force, is undoubtedly the most advanced of all the fighter
aircraft in development today. This aircraft is a true air dominance fighter and
uses highly advanced technology to insure air superiority. The F-22 will provide
first look/first shot/first kill ability in all environments. The F-22's
sophisticated sensor suite, cockpit design, and avionics that improve the
pilot's situational awareness all make up the supercomputing power of the F-22.
The F-22's engines allow the aircraft to "supercruise" to a high threat
environment, thus greatly increasing the F-22's speed and range over other
fighters. The F-22 will make use of its high thrust to weight ratio and thrust
vectoring engines to outmaneuver all current and projected fighters. The F-22
uses the most advanced stealth technologies involving a very stealthy airframe,
internal carriage of weapons, RAM, reduced IR signature, and much more to
extremely diminish the enemy's ability to see the aircraft on radar or lock onto
the aircraft with IR guided missiles. The F-22 also possesses a secondary air to
surface role. In addition to the two 2000 lb. GPS guided Joint Direct Attack
Munitions carried internally, the F-22 can be modified with under wing pylons to
carry air to ground munitions once air superiority has been established. The
F-22 will enter service in 2005.
First look/first kill in all environments- A combination of improved
sensor capability , improved situational awareness, and improved weapons
provides first-kill opportunity against the threat. The F-22 possesses a
sophisticated sensor suite that allow the pilot to track, identify, and shoot
the threat before it detects the F-22. Significant effort is being placed on
cockpit design and avionics fusion to improve the pilot's situational awareness.
Advanced avionic technologies allow the F-22 sensors to gather, integrate, and
display essential information in the most useful format to the pilot.
Reduced observables- Advances in low-observable technologies provide
significantly improve survivability and lethality against air-to-air and
surface-to-air threats. The F-22's combination of reduced observability and
supercruise accentuate the advantage of surprise in a tactical environment.
Supersonic persistence- The F-22 engines produce more thrust than any
current fighter engine, especially in the military (non-afterburner) power. This
characteristic allows the F-22 to efficiently cruise at supersonic airspeeds
without using afterburner (supercruise). This capability greatly expands the
F-22's operating envelope in both speed and range over current fighters which
must use afterburner to operate at supersonic speeds.
Increased maneuverability- The F-22 has been extensively designed,
tested, and refined aerodynamically during the Demonstration/Validation
(DEM/VAL) process and coupled with high-maneuver capability. The sophisticated
F-22 aerodesign and high thrust-to-weight provides the capability to outmaneuver
all current and projected threat aircraft.
Improved combat radius on internal fuel- To ensure the F-22 provides
air superiority for deep-interdiction aircraft, it operates at medium and high
altitude at ranges superior to current generation air-superiority aircraft.
Improved reliability and maintainability- To ensure operational
flexibility, the F-22 has better reliability and maintainability than any
military fighter in history. Increased F-22 reliability and maintainability pays
off in less manpower required to fix the aircraft and consequently less aircraft
required to support a deployed squadron. Additionally, reduced maintenance
support provides the benefit of reduced life cycle cost and the ability to
operate more efficiently from prepared of dispersed operating locations. The
F-22 exceeds current fighter sortie surge rates with a reduced support
structure.
Increased lethality and survivability- The above characteristics
provide a synergistic effect that ensures F-22 lethality against an advanced air
threat. The combination of reduced observability and supercruise drastically
shrinks surface-to-air engagement envelopes and minimizes threat capabilities to
engage and shoot the F-22.
Air-to-surface capability- The F-22 has a secondary role to attack
surface targets. The aircraft will be capable of carrying 2 x 1,000 pound Joint
Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) internally and will use on-board avionics for
navigation and weapons delivery support.
Destined to become the next generation fighter of the USAF. The F-22 is a
stealthy air-superiority fighter. Another requirement is the ability to cruise
at supersonic speeds without afterburner. The F-22 has a rather conventional
appearance, with twin tails and flat fuselage sides; the armament is carried in
internal weapons bays. The engines have two-dimensional nozzles. Plans for a
naval version, intended to replace the F-14, with extensive changes to make the
aircraft suitable for carrier use, have been shelved. Service entry is expected
in 2005, and the first F-22A production aircraft flew on 7 September 1997.
The ATF (Advanced Technology Fighter) programme began in September 1983, when
design contracts were awarded to seven companies; in October 1986, development
contracts were awarded to two consortia, one consisting of Lockheed (prime
contractor), Boeing, and General Dynamics, the other of Northrop (prime
contractor) and McDonnell Douglas. The first Northrop/MD YF-23A (unofficially
"Black Widow II") flew on 27 August 1990, followed by the first Lockheed/Boeing/GD
YF-22A (unofficially "Lightning II") on 29 September 1990. In April 1991, the
YF-22A was selected for development and eventual service.
Recent budget cuts have slowed down the schedule slightly; the first flight
of the production Lockheed/Boeing F-22A (General Dynamics sold its fighter
division to Lockheed in December 1992), originally scheduled for June 1996, will
now be in September 1997. Service entry is expected to begin in 2005; the USAF
is currently fighting an attempt by the General Accounting Office to delay this
to 2010. Total production, originally planned to be 648 aircraft, has now been
reduced to 339.
Reports differed as to whether the aircraft had an official name yet; for a
while the Pentagon was considering "Superstar", and some magazine reports have
claimed that the name "Rapier" has been assigned. However, Chris Ridlon of USAF
ROTC/Academy reports that all the USAF people he knows (including F-22
acquisition officers) are using Lockheed's name of "Lightning II", so that may
be officially approved after all. We now know it's Raptor...
Vital statistics (YF-22A): length 18.90 m, span 13.56 m, empty weight 15422
kg, max weight 28123 kg, max speed 2655 km/h (Mach 2.5), ferry range 3704 km;
power plant: two 155.68 kN Pratt & Whitney F119-100 augmented turbofans;
armament: 20mm cannon, internal bays for two AIM-9 and four AIM-120A or six
AIM-120C air-to-air missiles, or two AIM-9, two AIM-120, and two air-to-surface
missiles, external hardpoints for four more AIM-120s or other ordnance; radar:
Westinghouse/Texas Instruments APG-77.
Type: YF-22
Function: fighter
Year: 1990
Engines: 2 * 156kN P&W F119-PW-100
Wing Span: 13.10m
Length: 19.55 m
Height: 5.39 m
Wing Area: 77.10 m2
Empty Weight: 14061 kg
Max.Weight: 26308 kg
Speed: 2335 km/h
Range: 3704 km
Armament: (prototypes unarmed)
Unit cost: 90 million USD
Type: F-22 A/C Raptor