When the 1st F22 took off,
it became clear that this aircraft wasn't an evolution,
but a revolution. Neither America's allies nor its rivals would
have anything comparable for many years.
Being the love child of defence industry giants Boeing and
Lockheed Martin,
the F22 boasts a super cruising speed of over
1.5 Mac without afterburners, the maximum speed of Mac
2.25 and remarkable stealth. One of the most astounding attributes
of the
F22 is its thrust vectoring system,
greatly enhancing its agility in aerial combat.
After many heated discussions between the USAF and the US
Congress,
the Raptor is projected to stay in service until the
next Generation Air Dominance fighter becomes operational.
Equipped with a new upgrade package,
F22 Raptor is poised to dominate the skies for at
least another decade.
After all, you can't keep a good bird of prey
down.
Upgrades to the F22 have focused on enhancing its weapons
capabilities,
significantly expanding its target range,
air to air attack capabilities and lock on launch precision.
The integration of these software enabled
F22 weapons upgrades, including versions of the AIM 9X and
AIM
120D missiles has been an ongoing process for several years.
This integration was part of a multi year software upgrade
known as
3.2 B, during which the weapons improvements were prototyped,
tested, demonstrated and validated. Lastly,
AIM 260 long range radar guided air to Air missiles
will further expand the Raptors array of beyond visual Range
or BVR weaponry.
One of the upgrades in progress encompass all aspects Infrared
Search and Track or IRST capabilities.
IRST is a passive method for detecting and targeting enemy
aircraft,
especially effective against radar eluding stealth fighters.
IRST systems detect heat signatures,
enabling stealth aircraft like the Raptor to locate and lock
onto enemy jets without emitting radar signals that would reveal
their presence.
Given the use of stealth aircraft by adversary air forces,
an IRST is now regarded as a crucial sensing capability.
Yet, equipping the F22 with an IRST system similar to
the
F35's Electro Optical Targeting System,
or EOTS, would necessitate costly and extensive modifications to the
aircraft's structure. Hence, a more practical solution appears to be
using an external pod.
The stealth fighters are typically designed to maintain a stealthy
profile without external munitions or fuel tanks.
However, when operating over vast areas like the Pacific,
additional fuel beyond internal storage is required.
Currently the Raptor can carry 600 gallon under wing fuel
tanks,
but these compromise its stealth.
The new low drag, low observable
F22 fuel tanks aim to counterbalance this stealth reduction.
The F22 low drag tank and pylon or LDTP capability
is critical to maintaining air superiority in the joint fight
and combating emerging threats.
The F22 Raptor, categorized as a fifth generation air superiority
fighter,
is regarded as the USA FS 4th generation stealth aircraft
technology.
It stands as the inaugural operation aircraft to merge supercruise,
super manoeuvrability, stealth and sensor fusion within a singular weapons
platform.
This unique combination equips it for missions primarily centred on
counter air operations,
particularly in fiercely contested settings.
The absence of a worthy opponent.
It's only official kill in two decades is a Chinese
balloon,
and not having an expert version have made this remarkable
aircraft a financial burden.
Also, being 2 decades old,
F22 had problems with incorporating certain technologies that have become
essential to the USAF.
However, since it is decided that this aircraft will remain
in service until the next Generation Air Dominance Fighter is
operational,
updates and upgrades are ongoing to bridge the gap between
the
F22 and the NGAD fighter.