Lockheed F-22A Raptor - Bilder og video

Fotogalleri av en Lockheed F-22A Raptor, The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor er et enseters, tomotors femtegenerasjons supermanøvrerbart jagerfly som bruker stealth-teknologi.

Kilde: Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor på Wikipedia

The Lockheed F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation, single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). The result of the USAF’s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but also has ground attack, electronic warfare, and signal intelligence capabilities. The F-22 is the first operational aircraft to combine supercruise, supermaneuverability, stealth, and sensor fusion in a single platform.
The F-22’s development began in 1981 with the request for information (RFI) for the ATF program. The program aimed to produce a new air superiority fighter that could counter and defeat any potential adversary, including the Soviet Union’s new generation of fighters such as the Su-27 and MiG-29. Lockheed and Boeing teamed up to submit their proposal for the YF-22 prototype, which competed against the Northrop YF-23. The YF-22 was selected as the winner of the fly-off competition in 1991 and was awarded the contract to produce the F-22.
F-22 ble tatt i bruk i desember 2005 og oppnådde innledende operativ evne (IOC) i desember 2007. USAF planla opprinnelig å kjøpe 750 F-22, men programmet ble kuttet til 187 operative fly på grunn av høye kostnader, mangel på klare luft-til-luft-oppdrag på grunn av forsinkelser i russiske og kinesiske jagerflyprogrammer, et forbud mot eksport og utvikling av den mer allsidige F-35. Den siste F-22 ble levert i 2012.
The F-22 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 afterburning turbofan engines that enable it to reach speeds of over Mach 2.2 without using afterburners (supercruise). The engines also feature thrust vectoring nozzles that can direct the engine thrust up or down, giving the F-22 exceptional agility and maneuverability. The F-22 has a trapezoidal wing with a large wing area and high sweep angle, which provide high lift and low drag at supersonic speeds. The wing also incorporates leading-edge extensions (LEX) that generate vortices that enhance lift and aid in roll control.
The F-22’s stealth features include a diamond-shaped fuselage that reduces radar cross-section (RCS), radar-absorbent material (RAM) that covers most of the surface area, serrated edges and gaps that minimize radar reflections, and internal weapons bays that eliminate external stores. The F-22 also has a sophisticated avionics suite that integrates multiple sensors and systems, such as the AN/APG-77 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, the AN/AAR-56 infrared and ultraviolet missile launch detector (MLD), the AN/ALR-94 passive radar warning receiver (RWR), and the AN/ALE-55 fiber-optic towed decoy (FOTD). The F-22 can also communicate with other platforms through its multifunction advanced data link (MADL), which is compatible with the Link 16 network.
The F-22 can carry a variety of weapons for different missions. For air-to-air combat, it can carry six AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles internally. For air-to-ground missions, it can carry two 1,000 lb (450 kg) JDAM bombs or eight 250 lb (110 kg) SDB bombs internally. It can also carry external fuel tanks or weapons on four hardpoints under the wings, but this degrades its stealth performance. The F-22 also has an internal M61A2 Vulcan 20 mm rotary cannon with 480 rounds.
F-22 er allment ansett som det mest avanserte og kapable jagerflyet i verden. Den har demonstrert sin overlegenhet over andre jagerfly i en rekke øvelser og simuleringer, som Red Flag og Northern Edge. Den har også deltatt i flere kampoperasjoner, som Operation Inherent Resolve mot ISIS i Syria og Irak, Operation Odyssey Dawn i Libya og Operation Enduring Freedom i Afghanistan. F-22 forventes å forbli i tjeneste til minst 2060.