F-22A Raptor Air Superiority Fighter

F-22A Raptor Air Superiority Fighter

By: David Balch

Basic Information

• Stealth fighter• Capable of shooting targets >100 miles

away• First fighter with cruising speed over Mach

1• Fastest fighter in the world• Most powerful fighter engines ever

developed• Most stealth features ever on one aircraft• Most expensive fighter aircraft ever built.

F-119-PW-100 Jet engines

• Most powerful fighter engines ever developed

• Thrust vectoring nozzles• Supercruise/afterburners• Stealth features

Power

• 39,000 LB’s of thrust means unparalleled power. This can be compared with the F-15’s F100-PW-220 engine which produces 25,000 lbs of thrust. The F-22’s engine is the most powerful fighter engine ever developed.

Thrust Vectoring

• At a high speed, the agility of any vehicle decreases, but, when you can aim the thrust, you can increase the agility. As the F-22 turns, the engines actually move to change the angle of the thrust. This also helps reduce stalls and changes the angle of attack.

Supercruise/Afterburners

• Afterburners: a way to greatly increase the thrust of an aircraft. It burns a high amount of fuel because it works by injecting fuel directly into the exhaust lines. This creates a large explosion that pushes the aircraft forward. The one problem with this method is that it burns an incredible amount of fuel in comparison to subsonic flight.

• Supercruise: the ability of an engine to propel an aircraft past Mach 1 without the use of afterburners. This burns a significantly lower amount of fuel than do afterburners.

Stealth Features of the F119-PW-100

• No visible smoke: the contrails left behind by the engine are not visible, meaning that you cannot track the fighter visually.

• Low heat signature: the engine coats the exhaust in cold air, reducing the infra-red image.

• The engine is housed deep inside the nozzles, which reduces the radar return from the engine.

Overall StealthFeatures

• Low Observability• Continuous Curves• Saw Tooth Edges• New Cockpit Design

Low Observability

• The paint scheme of the F-22 is designed to blend in with the surrounding environment and sky.

• Highly tinted canopy

Continuous Curves• Using constant curvature, the radar

emissions are scattered away from the source.

Supposedly, a sphere has a RCS (Radar Cross Section) of zero.

Saw Tooth Edges

• Using a “W” shape, the radar is reflected from one side to the other becoming less potent each time. Ultimately, the beam is reflected away from the source.

New Cockpit Design

• One of the primary sources for radar return is the pilot’s helmet and body.

• The polycarbonate material absorbs a significant amount of radar emissions.

• The all glass cockpit absorbs a large amount of the visual light emitting from the cockpit, while allowing maximum incoming light.

What’s New?

• The F-22 features many new additions to the aircraft world, as well as things that no one could have thought would have been on a fighter. The F-22 Raptor is the ultimate in speed, agility, and stealth.

New Features

• New cockpit design• New flight suithelmet• New PLSS (Pilot Life Support System)• New ejection seat (0/0)• HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick)• New ICP (Integrated Control Panel)• New Visual Panels (LCD)• New Lighting (mostly LED’s)

Cockpit

• No canopy bow (increased visual)• Resistant to both chemical and

biological agents• Weight difference in canopy sides

(decreases odds of post-ejection impact)

• Absorbs radar emissions• Reduces visual signature

New Flight Suit/Helmet

• CB/CWI (Chemical/biological/cold-water immersion )

• Flame resistant• Adjustable seals• Adjustable in suit temperature• Potential application for ground teams on

HAZ-MAT (Hazardous Material missions) and Danger-Clim (Dangerous Climate) missions

PLSS• The PLSS (Pilot Life Support System) is state

of the art on this aircraft.• OBOGS (On-board oxygen generation

system)• Integrated BRAG (Breathing Regulator/Anti-

G Valve) which controls the flow of pressure to the mask and garments

• CB/CWI (Chemical/biological/cold-water immersion )

• Upper body counterpressure garment and lower body anti-G garment to act as a partial pressure suit at high altitudes

• Adjustable temperature on suit

New 0/0 Ejection Seat

• 0/0 means that it can safely launch at zero velocity and zero altitude (AGL)

• AARS (Active Arm Restraint System) to eliminate flailing related injuries during launch

• Stabilization Parachute (to decrease G-force related injuries)

• Improved timing• Significantly Larger oxygen bottle (30%

larger than the average ejection seat bottle)

HOTAS

• The HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick) makes it easier for the pilot to control the computer system. The pilot has every control that is needed, on the stick and throttle. This means that the pilot has to spend significantly less time finding buttons to control the computer system.

ICP

• The ICP (Integrated Control Panel) is a highly improved HUD (Heads Up Display). It shows, more accurately, the condition, armaments, and location of the aircraft. It also interlinks with the PLSS (Pilot Life Support System) to show all of the vitals of the pilot.

LCD Panels

• The new display system which uses LCD’s (Liquid Crystal Display) is far more reliable than the typical cathode ray tube (Cathode Ray Tube)

LED Lighting

• The majority of the lighting inside the F-22 uses LED (Light-Emitting Diodes). These create minimal heat and rarely burn out. Also, they are cheaper to manufacture than typical glass light bulbs.

History-Major Landmark Dates

• The F-22’s history dates back to early 1981 when the F-22 was first designed to combat the rising threat of the Soviet Union. The F-22 has changed dramatically since then, but only for the better. The F-22 has become the most powerful aircraft in the world.

1981-1990

• 1981: The program begins to combat the rising threat of attack from the USSR

• 1983: Complete engine concept designs• 1985: USAF requests proposal for ATF• 1986: USAF announces the two choices for ATF;

YF-23A and the YF/A-22A• 1988: First complete model of the two prototype

engines; YF-120 and the YF-119• 1989: Avionics tested on Boeing 757• 1990: First test flight of all four prototypes/missile

guidance system

1990-2004• 1991: First clearance of Mach 1.58. F-22 announced as

winner of the ATF competition.• 1992: First crash of F-22. Testing temporarily suspended.• 1993: USAF plans to buy 648 F-22’s at $84 mil. each.• 1994: Number requested changed to 442 at $94 mil. each.• 1995: F-22 program nearly shut down.• 1997: Navy’s request for a variant is denied, as the frame

cannot withstand the violent jolts involved with the catapults.

• 1998: The first prototype F-22, the YF-22 is put on display in the U. S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. First mid-flight refueling.

• 1999: First full avionics F-22 put in the air.• 2002: F-22 assignment code updated to F/A-22• 2004: F/A-22 assignment code updated to F-22

Conclusion

• This concludes my research project of the F-22A Raptor, Air Superiority Fighter. During my research, I discovered that what my seem like science fiction can very well be real. The F-22 is the perfect example of this. When I enter USAF, I would like to fly one of these marvels of modern technology.

Sources

• Web Sites:• F-22raptor.com• FAS.org• Google.com• Yahoo.com

• Books:• Milestones of Aviation

By: John T. Greenwood

• Magazines:• Discovery