See this surprising review from Red Flag “Colonial Flag” 2007, as an Australian exchange pilot offers his impressions: The F-22’s stealth level shortens those ranges considerably from all enemy positions, even those that use new VHF radars. It merely shortens the range at which an aircraft can be detected by opponents on the ground or in the air, and makes radar lock for engagements harder to achieve and to keep.
#F 22 raptor full
Including infrared and TV sensors that can be used to target both aerial and ground foes at the same level as top-end targeting pods and air-to-air IRST (Infra-Red Search and Track) systems.Īll-Aspect Stealth: The F-22A offers full stealth, unlike the F-35 which has a very good radar profile from the front, a less stealthy profile from the sides, and a least stealthy profile from the rear quarter. It uses even more modern internal electronics, and a wider array of sensors. This greatly improves first detection ability, even with its radar off and the combination with sensor fusion means that F-22 pilots are almost certain to know where their opponents are, long before the reverse is true. Furthermore, a radical design departure embeds passive sensors for various wavelengths all around the plane’s structure. The F-22’s central integrated processor (CIP) offers the equivalent of 2 Cray supercomputers, used for “sensor fusion” that aims to put all of the information the plane is gathering into one simple display. Right now, fighters have multiple sensors and information-sharing links, shown on multiple displays that often require button pressing to switch back and forth. Key advantages include:Įmbedded Sensors + Sensor Fusion: The goal is to have the pilot focus on dealing with the enemy, rather than dealing with the aircraft. Advocates contend that the F-22’s combination of stealth, vectored thrust, range, advanced surveillance electronics with potential electronic warfare applications, and sustained supersonic flight (aka “supercruise”) arguably place it in a class by itself among the world’s combat aircraft.
That hasn’t happened with the F-22, even when paired against the USA’s most advanced current fighters.
During the 1970s and 1980s, for instance, F-15s matched up against far less sophisticated F-5s generally had kill ratios of about 8:1, which dropped close to parity when greatly outnumbered. While it’s always wise to take such figures with a grain of salt until one has reviewed the exercise setup and conditions in full, the raw number is impressive.
The Raptor had a long development history, and been the focus of controversy, cost concerns, Congressional cutbacks, and some lessons learned.Īt the same time, the Raptor has done extremely well in exercises against F-15s, with reported kill ratios of up to 108:0 during Exercise Northern Edge 2006.