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30 Facts About the F-22 Raptor
The F-22 Raptor is one of the most secretive planes in existence. Here are 30 facts about the iconic aircraft (note this may be a clickbait educational article i went threw it all and no blocking adds showed just be warned on that. instead of clicking click comments i will try to add them all there) (www.thebrofessional.net) Más...
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You make a comment about it needing tankers on long distance depolyments or missions. Don't most fighters need and always have needed them? Know when the flight teams go
on missions to other countries they pick up fuel along the way from tankers.
Also the comment about a co pilot and not having room for one don't understand as most new fighters from this country and others are single pilot. And also the high tech needing someone that is more qualified than other AC seems most planes are more tech driven than pilot driven what I mean is pilot skills are needed but more tech savvy ones are required for this one is that correct?
on missions to other countries they pick up fuel along the way from tankers.
Also the comment about a co pilot and not having room for one don't understand as most new fighters from this country and others are single pilot. And also the high tech needing someone that is more qualified than other AC seems most planes are more tech driven than pilot driven what I mean is pilot skills are needed but more tech savvy ones are required for this one is that correct?
Because of the hefty price tag, there was a debate throughout the early 2000’s as to whether this was a viable program to complete. Staunch opposition came from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, as well as Senator John McCain. Nevertheless, Congress decided to continue the F-22’s production in 2008 by way of a new spending bill.
2.Lockheed Martin was the prime contractor, in charge of most of the fuselage, weapons units, and final product assembly. While they are rightfully credited for their development work on the F-22, Boeing was also instrumental in the final product.
Wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems were all contributions from Boeing. Despite the many positives brought about by varying producers, some argue that this likely contributed to cost hikes and delays in the final product.
3.One of the more advanced cockpits in modern military aircraft, the F-22 is as high tech as it is cramped. It includes a monochrome head-up display, as well as a keypad system for entering communications and autopilot data, but only has space for one pilot.
Only the best can operate this beast, as a pilot has no co-pilot for recourse. The trick would be to process and analyze the extensive technical data being fed through the aircraft’s instruments.
4. DIDN'T MAKE ITS COMBAT DEBUT UNTIL 2014 In July of that year, a U.S.-led coalition against ISIS began dropping bombs on targets within Syria and Iraq. A couple months later, the military enlisted the help of the F-22 to help ensure the safety of other aircraft involved in the air strikes.
The role of the Raptor was to escort the strike packages within the target area, as well as gathering details about the enemy systems.
5. FLIGHT WAS ON SEPTEMBER 7TH, 1997
On that Sunday morning, the F-22 EMD aircraft took it’s long anticipated first flight. The idea for the F-22 had taken root some 15 years prior to that initial trip, when it became evident that the US Air Force needed to fill the gap to replace the F-15. Prototypes, YF-22 and YF-23 were flown in 1990, and the road to 1997 was set.
Throughout the 90’s, the plane was assembled piece by piece. Fabrication for the first part of the flyable F-22 started in 1993.
6. Any guesses as far as its operating cost? In 2008, the Air Force claimed that the F-22 cost $44,259 per flying hour.
But the Office of the Secretary of Defense later stated that it was $49, 808. The former fighter, F-15, had an average cost of $30,818.
7. RANGE OF ALMOST 2,000 MILES
Needless to say, they can’t make it directly from the states to the Middle East without stopping for a gas break. But at least they can move at a clip of up to 1,500 miles per hour along the way.
Luckily KC-135s are like aerial Shell stations. During the Syrian air strikes, the F-22’s relied on these massive vessels to hand them more fuel from above.
8.Only a small handful of incidents have occurred. The first involved a YF-22 crashing at Edwards AFB during testing. Then an F-22 suffered its first accident happened during takeoff at Nellis AFB in Nevada in 2004, causing the pilot to have to eject to safety.
An engine shutdown prior to the flight caused a flight-control system malfunction, which was soon rectified via a change in aircraft design.
9.CHIEF TEST PILOT PAUL METZ WORE A LUCKY SHIRT FOR THE TEST FLIGHT All things end well when you wear a lucky t-shirt. Underneath his flight suit, chief test pilot Paul Metz wore a Super Chicken t-shirt before taking to the skies with his F-22 for the initial test flight.
The cartoon show Super Chicken aired beginning in 1967 on ABC, and was along the same ilk of Rocky & Bullwinkle
10.DESIGNED FOR A LIFESPAN OF 30 YEARS
The jet fighter was created with the intention of lasting some 30+ years and with the ability to amass 8,000 flight hours. Sound like a long time? They are merely scratching the surface.
By 2030, the goal is to have a sixth generation jet fighter ready to roll out with even a longer lifespan. The bottom line? Expect the aircraft to get faster and even more durable in the years to come.
11. It’s no exaggeration that the F-22’s stealth capability makes in nearly invisible. For radar viewers, it’s image is no larger than a bumblebee.
This obviously presents a huge advantage for the F-22 pilot who has a 360 degree view of the battlefield surrounding his aircraft, while he remains virtually undetectable.
12. F-22 RAPTOR CAN BE CONFIGURED FOR AIR OR GROUND COMBAT
The weapons supplies don’t deviate a great deal from air to ground combat. Both entail multiple AIM-120C air-to-air missiles as well as Sidewinder missiles.
Once the aircraft enters its battle space, the on-board sensors begin collecting the necessary intelligence to determine where and when to unload the ammo.
13. F-22’s are deployed in Alaska, New Mexico, and Virginia. They are additionally based in Hawaii and the Middle East.
All training and maintenance procedures are accomplished in California, Nevada, and Florida.
14. USES AESA TO HOUND ENEMY AIRCRAFT
he active electronically scanned array radars aim their beam by emitting multiple radio waves. F-22’s use the technology to collect valuable data about the enemy, and can ostensibly share the picture with fellow attack planes.
This was utilized in the air strikes on ISIS following the burning alive of pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh. He was captured on Christmas Eve of 2014.
15.
During testing, an F-22 dropped a GBU-32 JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) from 50,000 feet while cruising at Mach 1.5. It was able to strike a moving target 24 miles away.
Despite the F-22 usually carrying weapons internally, its wings include four hardpoints which can each handle 5,000 lbs.
16. A carrier version of the F-22 included variable-sweep wings for the U.S. Navy’s Navy Advanced Tactical Fighter program. It would have replaced the F-14 Tomcat.
The undertaking was canceled in 1993, deemed impractical. Nevertheless, it was the deciding factor for Donald Rice’s decision to go with the YF-22 over the YF-23.
17. INCIDENTS 2 In 2009, the F-22 crashed a few miles northeast of Edwards AFB during a test flight, causing test pilot David P. Cooley to perish. There were no structural errors at play, just a loss of consciousness by the pilot.
The following year, there was another incident culminating in the death of a pilot. It was attributed to a bleed air system malfunction after an engine overheat condition was found. Then in 2012, an F-22 crashed east of Tyndall AFB, with the pilot ejecting safely.
18. At the start of July 2015, the F-22 Raptor jets had flown 204 sorties out of the 44,000 launched by the U.S. They had dropped 270 bombs on targets located in 60 of the 7,900 locations hit by the other aircraft supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
The Raptors acted as escorts for striking packages into and out of the target area. They gathered details about the enemy’s systems and spread intelligence to other “networked” assets.
19. In 2006, the Raptor had proven extremely effective against the outdated F-15s. During training sessions, it maintained a kill ratio of 108:0. This is exponentially more impressive than that of the F-15 against the F-5 during the 1970’s and 1980’s.
A combination of vectored thrust, range, and stealth capability places it within a class of its own when it comes to the world’s strongest combat aircraft.
20.The ability to cruise at supersonic speeds while being fully loaded with weapons is a privilege not a right, but the F-22 fits the bill perfectly.
While supercruising, it doesn’t need the use of fuel-inefficient afterburners, and it can easily intercept targets which subsonic aircraft would not be able to pursue. The F-22 contains amounts of high strength materials enabling it to withstand stress.
21.Thrust vectoring allows tighter and more sustainable turns at high-g forces. It allows the aircraft to perform stall maneuvers that don’t literally stall the plane.
This supermaneuverability, combined with an exquisite radar system, enables the F-22 to close in quickly on the bad guys.
22.Detractors criticize the F-22 for its lacking of ‘qualified weapons.’ Outside of the aforementioned Sidewinder, medium range missiles, and JDAM family of bombs, the aircraft has yet to be integrated with new weaponry.
An incorporation of the GBU-54 laser JDAM and GBU-53 Small Diameter Bomb II would add independent attack capability against a variety of moving targets.
23. DONALD RUMSFELD NEARLY BOOKENDS THE F-22 PROJECT
Rumsfeld was twice the U.S. Secretary of Defense. His first stint was under President Gerald Ford until 1977, about four years prior to the initial requirement for the F-22.
He returned to the post under President George W. Bush in 2001, four years after the F-22’s first test flight.
24. REACHED FULL OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY IN 2005
Increment 2, the first F-22 upgrade program, was implemented in 2005. By December of that year, The Air Force announced that the jet had achieved Initial Operational Capability.
The 27th Fighter Squadron was the first combat F-22 squadron. It began conversion that year.
25.LOW USEFULNESS IN 'SMALL WARS' Criticism of the jet stems largely from the fact that it is so expensive and lacks the systems to engage with fleeting targets.
Modern counter-insurgency warfare is dominated by aircraft with built-in optics and laser targeting that is found in attack helicopters, the F-35, and UAVs.
26.Other nations were inspired by the fifth generation fighter, including China and Russia. But between the Chengdu-20 and the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA, the latter was the most serious competition.
Despite the demise of the Soviet Union, Russia was able to maintain a defense industrial base to some extent. The PAK-FA is undoubtedly the Russian answer to the Raptor.
27.By 2017, the Raptor will finally step into the new age of combat with the integration of the AIM-9X sidewinder.
By 2020, there is set to be an even more hi-tech innovation…
28. HELMET-MOUNTED CUING SYSTEM
In hopes to improve the day-night F-22 Raptor helmet, the US Air Force published a program schedule and requirements list to make it a possibility by the year 2020.
Supposedly, the Air Force will use the Gentex HGU-55/P helmet and either modify it or produce a new design.
29.THE 262 STURMVOGEL OF ITS TIME?
Detractors often compare it to the Me-262, which was the world’s first production jet fighter. The Me-262 had the kind of unparalleled performance for its era that the F-22 has today.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a compliment. Of the approximately 200 Me-262s produced, nearly all were taken out of the sky during World War 2. So the question presented here is are the F-22’s worth it?
30.SIXTH GENERATION TO BE REVEALED SOMETIME BETWEEN 2025-2030
In the coming 10 to 15 years, The USAF will likely step into yet a new era of jet fighters, thus ushering in a new era of critics and second guessers. The Boeing F/A-XX concept design was released in 2013, but the Navy is also researching their own new age fighter jets.
As of 2015, the Pentagon budget request had studies to move towards an acquisition program in fiscal year 2018. Specifics regarding the next generation, as well as the fate of the F-22 Raptor, remain largely under wraps.
Source: Defense Industry Daily