Mission
The F-22 Raptor's combination of stealth, supercruise, maneuverability and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability, represents an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities and allows for the full realization of operational concepts that are vital to the 21st century Air Force. The F-22 is a critical component of the Global Strike Task Force that is designed to project air dominance, rapidly and at great distances, to counter and defeat threats that will attempt to deny access to our forces. The F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected adversary fighter aircraft.
Features
First look, first shot, first kill in all environments: A combination of improved sensor capability, integrated avionics, improved situational awareness and improved weapons provides first-kill opportunity against the threat. The F-22 possesses a sophisticated sensor suite that allows the pilot to track, identify, shoot and kill the threat before it detects the F-22. Significant advances in cockpit design and avionics fusion 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.
Air-to-surface capability: The F-22 has a significant capability to attack surface targets. The aircraft is capable of carrying two 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions internally and uses on-board avionics for navigation and weapons delivery support. Future air-to-ground capability will be enhanced with the addition of an upgraded radar and the Small Diameter Bomb.
Stealth: Advances in low-observable technologies provide significantly improved survivability and lethality against air-to-air and surface-to-air threats. The F-22 brings stealth into the day time for the first time, which enables it to not only protect itself but other stealth assets as well. The F-22's combination of reduced observability and supercruise accentuates the advantage of surprise in a tactical environment.
Supercruise: The F-22 engines produce more thrust than any current fighter engine. This allows the F-22 to efficiently cruise at supersonic airspeeds, greater than 1.5 Mach, without using afterburner. This characteristic is known as supercruise. Supercruise greatly expands the F-22's operating envelope in both speed and range over current fighters that must use fuel-consuming afterburners to operate at supersonic speeds.
Increased maneuverability: The sophisticated F-22 aerodynamic design, advanced flight controls with thrust vectoring and high thrust-to-weight ratio provide the capability to outmaneuver all current and projected threat aircraft. The F-22 design was extensively tested and refined aerodynamically during the development process.
Increased lethality and survivability: The F-22's characteristics provide a synergistic effect that ensures F-22 lethality against all advanced air threats. The combination of stealth, integrated avionics and supercruise drastically shrinks surface-to-air missile engagement envelopes and minimizes enemy capabilities to track and engage the F-22.
Improved reliability and maintainability: To ensure operational flexibility, the F-22 has better reliability and maintainability than any fighter aircraft in history. An F-22 squadron will require less than half as much airlift as an F-15 squadron to deploy. Increased F-22 reliability and maintainability pays off in less manpower required to fix the aircraft and more efficient operation.
Background
The F-22 is an air superiority fighter that incorporates the latest technological advances in reduced observables, avionics, engine performance and aerodynamic design. Knowledge gained from proven weapon systems such as the F-15, F-16 and F-117 formed the foundation for F-22 development. The F-22 enhances the joint fight by establishing air dominance, thus providing ground, naval and special operations forces with unimpeded access to their targets.
General Characteristics
Primary Function: Multi-role fighter, air dominance
Builder: Air Vehicle -Lockheed-Martin, Boeing; Engines - Pratt & Whitney
Power Plant: Two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburners and two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles
Thrust (each engine): 35,000-pound class
Length: 62 feet, 1 inch (18.9 meters)
Height: 16 feet, 8 inches (5.1 meters)
Wingspan: 44 feet, 6 inches (13.6 meters)
Speed: Mach 2 class
Ceiling: Above 50,000 feet (approximately 15 kilometers)
Empty Weight: 40,000-pound class (approximately 18,000 kilograms)
Armament: One M61A2 20-millimeter multibarrel cannon with 480 rounds; side weapon bays can carry two AIM-9 infrared (heat seeking) air-to-air missiles and main weapon bays can carry (air-to-air loadout) six AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles or (air-to-ground loadout) two 1,000-pound JDAMs and two AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles.
Crew: one
Initial Operational Capability: 2005. First Aircraft (T/N 4018) delivered to the 43rd Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City, Florida, October 2003. The 43rd Fighter Squadron is the Air Force's first F-22 flying squadron and will train all future F-22 pilots and maintenance crews.
Current as of: Oct. 20, 2021