Posted by
celtic-dragon on Monday, February 19, 2007 1:34:28 AM
What's that sound, Airman?!
Jet noise, Sir! The sound of FREEDOM!!
F-22 makes mark at Red Flag in it's first appearance according to a story at DefenseTalk.com
"Pilots from the 94th
Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va., are flying F-22s
against Red Flag aggressors, with pilots from the Royal Australian Air
Force of Australia, and the Royal Air Force of England.
The 94th FS deployed 14
Raptors and 197 Airmen to participate in the Red Flag exercise.
Including the F-22s, more than 200 aircraft are participating. Among
the foreign aircraft involved are the RAF's GR-4 Tornados and RAAF's
F-111 Aardvark. In addition, the F-22s are flying with the B-2 Spirit,
F-117 Nighthawk, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon and more."
Lt. Colonel Dirk Smith, commander of the 94th Fighter Squadron, says, "The training provided
by the Red Flag adversaries is like no other on earth. Our pilots are experiencing a tremendous learning curve."
In addition to air to air combat, Red Flag excersises train US and allied pilots in air to ground combat, with simulated surface-to-air missiles, anti aircraft artillery and electronics warfare thrown in.
The presence of the F-22 is to "foster and maintain an unfair advantage over the enemies of the United States", says Maj. Jack Miller, a Spokesman for Langley AFB. "Our joint forces don't want a fair fight. We want every fight we enter to be patently unfair--to the other guy."
In a related story, the first over-seas deployment of F-22's to Kadena AFB has been delayed for a few days due to software glitches according to USAF Captain Jason Medina, who denied reports that the North Koreans had demanded that the fighters not be deployed. Problems with the defensive avionics software has been a concern, according to a report from the Pentagon's Office of Opperational Test and Evaluation. Nonetheless, USAF General Ronald Keyes declared the F-22 to be operationally ready last month.
Senior Airman William Rotroff reviews F-22 Raptor data on a portable
maintenance aid during Red Flag Feb. 6 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
|
Wing
Area:
|
840 sq
ft
|
|
Engine
Thrust Class:
|
35,000
lb
|
|
Level Speed:
|
921 mph
|
|
Total Length:
|
62.08
ft
|
|
Wing
Span:
|
44.5 ft
|
|
Horizontal
Tail Span:
|
29ft
|
|
Tail Span:
|
18'10"
|
|
Total Height:
|
16.67ft
|
|
Track
Width:
|
10.6ft
|
|
Engines:
|
Pratt
& Whitney F-119
|
|
Max. Takeoff Weight:
|
60,000 lb (27,216 kg)
|
|
Max. External Stores:
|
5,000 lb (2,270 kg)
|
|
Weight Empty:
|
31,670 lb (14,365 kg)
|
|
Ceiling:
|
50,000 ft (15,240 m)
|
|
Crew:
|
1
|
|
G Limit:
|
+9 G
|
|
First Flight:
|
September 7th
1997 |
| Outer Surface Components |
| 39% Titanium |
| 24% Composite |
| 16% Aluminum |
01%
Thermo-plastic
|
The F22 Raptor’s airframe is comprised mainly of four (4) large “chunks”,
or pieces that are produced by separate companies (see illustration below for
part and manufacturer).
Visuals and specs from F.22.com
As to how this fighter stacks up against other contemporary aircraft is an open guess, and the Air Force wants to keep the bad guys guessing as long as possible. I'm sorry I can't provide specifics on how the F-22 compares against the Rafale, Eurofighter EFA , or the SU-27/30 and MiG-35. Be sure to check out both the DefenseTalk.com and especially F.22.com links in this story for more info.
Also, on June 8th, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Team will be awarded the most prestigious award in aviation: The Collier trophy.
NAA President and CEO
David Ivey called the F-22 “a revolution in aeronautics,” and pointed
out the fighter’s performance in Northern Edge saying it “established
the unquestionable superiority of the Raptor, a culmination of years of
visionary design, rigorous testing, and innovative manufacturing.”
