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F-22 Raptor Related News »

• F-35 and F-22 programs are on divergent paths
• 192nd first Air Guard unit to fly F-22 for Operation Noble Eagle
• Air Force announces Reserve F-22 squadron at Holloman
• JEFX 08 demonstrates F-22 Raptor sensor capabilities
• Holloman prepares for Raptor

Two prototypes of both the YF-22 and YF-23 were constructed, one demonstrator of each aircraft being powered by Pratt & Whitney F119 and the other by the General Electric F120 turbofan engine, allowing the Air Force to select the best airframe/propulsion arrangement.
The second YF-22 prototype, fitted with the Pratt & Whitney engines, demonstrated the ability to cruise at Mach 1.58 without afterburner and Mach 1.7 with afterburner.
This combination was deemed the most desirable and both Lockheed and Pratt & Whitney were issued contracts to proceed with production. The first F-22 fighter aircraft was unveiled in April 1997 and was given the name Raptor.

The end of the Cold War greatly reduced the perceived military threat faced by the United States, therefore the House Appropriations Committee recommended termination of the F-22, based in part on concerns over cost growth and unrealistic budgeting.
The Air Force told the Committee that development of the then called ATF would cost around $14 billion, already 900 million dollars more than estimates provided half a year earlier.
In the years that followed the costs continued to rise, and was estimated at $23 billion in 1999.

Dispite the cost overruns and cuts in the total number of aircraft that will be purchased, the F-22A Raptor achieved Initial Operational Capability, and passed its 'mission capable' flight test in mid-January 2006.

In late-February Gen. Ronald Keys, commander of Air Combat Command (ACC), revised plans to procure a fleet of 183 Raptors, and will give the service about 126 combat-ready jets.

The Raptor's twin Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engines are leading-edge powerplants. The F-119's ability to provide supersonic cruise without afterburner provides the F/A-22 with one of its most important capabilities, with supercruise at Mach 1.5+ demonstrated in flight tests. It has a high power-to-weight ratio (PWR) of 1.4:1, and can deliver 156 kN (15,900 kgp / 35,000 lbf) afterburning thrust. The F119 has a minimized parts count and has been designed for maintainability. Important components, harnesses, and plumbing were placed on the bottom of the engine to improve ground crew access, and all components can be removed or replaced with one of six standard tools. The digital engine control modules are redundant, with two controllers per engine and two computers per controller, to improve reliability.

The F/A-22 is constructed of titanium alloys (39% by weight); composites (24%); aircraft aluminum alloy (16%); and thermoplastics (1%). Advanced titanium welding techniques and composite fabrication are used in the aircraft's construction. "Radar absorbent material (RAM)" is used in critical locations to reduce the aircraft's radar signature, and the aircraft's contours are intended to make it less conspicuous to radar. Apertures, such as weapons bay and landing gear doors, have zigzag edges to break up radar returns. A overall coating reduces the aircraft's infrared signature as well. While older stealth aircraft require substantial maintenance, careful handling, and protection from weather to keep them stealthy, the F/A-22 will not require extraordinary efforts to maintain its stealth characteristics.

Recent developments:

Jun. 18th, 2008 | F-35 and F-22 programs are on divergent paths

Clear air, politically speaking, appears to lie ahead for the F-35 joint strike fighter program after Lockheed Martin’s successful flight test last week of the first redesigned version. The same probably can’t be said for Lockheed’s F-22 after Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently sacked the aircraft’s most vocal Air Force proponents. The test of the F-35B Lightning II short takeoff-vertical landing model on June 11 prompted a vote of confidence from one senior ci...
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Jun. 16th, 2008 | 192nd first Air Guard unit to fly F-22 for Operation Noble Eagle

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- The Virginia Air National Guard's 192nd Fighter Wing here is the first Air Guard unit to fly the F-22 Raptor in support of Operation Noble Eagle. Operation Noble Eagle was established by President George W. Bush to protect the American homeland following the terrorist attacks in September 2001. Aircrews from the wing's 149th Fighter Squadron fly the Raptor. "The mission for the protection of the homeland has not changed for us since the inception...
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Jun. 16th, 2008 | Air Force announces Reserve F-22 squadron at Holloman

WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Air Force Reserve Command officials announced June 6 that a second F-22 Raptor fighter squadron will be established at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. Reserve officials will relocate the 301st Fighter Squadron from Luke AFB, Ariz., to Holloman AFB and form a classic association with the active duty's 7th and the 9th Fighter Squadrons under the 49th Fighter Wing. "I am proud that the Air Force Reserve has been invited to participate in so many new mission areas and that...
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May. 13th, 2008 | JEFX 08 demonstrates F-22 Raptor sensor capabilities

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) -- F-22 Raptors recently demonstrated its viability in transferring real-time intelligence data between other aircraft and an air operations center as part of a joint experiment in a warfighting environment. The data transfer was part of the third quarter Air Force Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2008, at Nellis AFB, Nev., April 15 to 25. JEFX 08-3 combined real-world air and ground forces, simulation, and technology insertions as a venue for com...
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May. 4th, 2008 | Holloman prepares for Raptor

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (ACCNS) -- After retiring the F-117A Nighthawk officials at Holloman are now preparing for the arrival of the F-22A Raptor. "One of the projects we have going on is phasing out tools used exclusively for the F-117," said Chief Master Sgt. James Harris, chief of the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Unit. "Then phasing in, getting our support section spun up with the F-22 equipment and tools," There is a self help project called the West Area Revitalization Team, said...
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F-22 Raptor Related News »

• Northrop Receives Contracts Totaling $252M for the F-22 Raptor Program
• Australia to push US on supply of Raptor fighter
• Alaska's first F-22 total force deployment successful
• Lockheed Awarded $182M for F-22 Sustainment for 2008-2009
• Northrop Successfully Demonstrates New SAR Capability for F-22 Raptor
• Pentagon eyes F-35 fighters, not pricier F-22s
• F-22 Raptor crew chiefs begin training
• Tyndall squadron prepares for 'pipeline' Raptor pilots
• Elmendorf takes step toward IOC
• Reserve Airmen train Guardsmen on Raptor
• Museum unveils F-22 public display
• Defense Department plans to request more F-22s
• 4 new pilots begin F-22 training
• Australia wants the US F-22 Raptor for RAAF
• U.S. ban forces Japan to modernize F-15 fighters
• Defense contractors, allies on Hill press Gates to extend F-22
• BAE Systems Dedicates New Facility for F-22 and F-35 Production
• F-22 receives FOC status at Langley
• F-22 endures 3-week, cold-weather test at Eielson
• Design Flaws Force Changes to USAF Raptor

All F-22 Raptor News Articles »

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• F-22 Raptor Video by Keith Breazeal