F-22 Raptor Thread

timepass

Brigadier
For Air Force Brat...


Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor . . .
The F-22 Raptor defines air dominance. The 5th Generation F-22’s unique combination of stealth, speed, agility, and situational awareness, combined with lethal long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry, makes it the best air dominance fighter in the world.

>> Aircraft Specifications

Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 ft / 18.90 m
Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.67 ft / 5.08 m
Wingspan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.5 ft / 13.56 m
Wing Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840 ft2 / 78.04 m2
Horizontal Tail Span. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 ft / 8.84 m
Engine Thrust Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,000 lb / 15,876 kg
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
For Air Force Brat...


Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor . . .
The F-22 Raptor defines air dominance. The 5th Generation F-22’s unique combination of stealth, speed, agility, and situational awareness, combined with lethal long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry, makes it the best air dominance fighter in the world.

>> Aircraft Specifications

Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 ft / 18.90 m
Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.67 ft / 5.08 m
Wingspan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.5 ft / 13.56 m
Wing Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840 ft2 / 78.04 m2
Horizontal Tail Span. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 ft / 8.84 m
Engine Thrust Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,000 lb / 15,876 kg

Thanks Timepass,,, I couldn't see the video, but I'll try to check you tube,, does it have title??
 
May 20, 2017
now I read
F-22 weapons capability ramps up
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while
Raptor testing thwarted by lack of aggressor 'assets'
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According to the recently-released Director of Operational Test and Evaluation annual report for 2017, the US Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) began Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) of the F-22A Raptor’s new Increment 3.2B upgrade in September 2017.

Increment 3.2B is a Major Defense Acquisition Program and provides hardware and software upgrades to fully integrate AIM-120D AMRAAM and AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles onto the USAF’s premier fighter. The protracted timescales of Increment 3.2B led to the USAF opting initially for a ‘rudimentary’ capability with AIM-120D and AIM-9X ahead of the full 3.2B — the AIM-120D was added first in Update 4, with the AIM-9X added in Update 5.

Development testing delays with 3.2B led to the USAF warning that it wouldn’t be completed as planned by the end of April 2017, thus delaying IOT&E, which is required to be completed successfully in order to authorize a Full‑Rate Production decision, currently scheduled to occur in July 2018. However, the report says IOT&E did start in September 2017.

The report then says: ‘F‑22A Increment 3.2B IOT&E adequacy requires the ability to conduct mission‑level, open‑air flight testing against specific adversary air capabilities. As of the start of IOT&E, the Air Force was not able to provide the means to conduct open‑air testing on the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) using all of the appropriate air assets required by the IOT&E test plan.’

Additionally, it says: ‘The NTTR Air‑to‑Air Range Infrastructure (AARI) instrumentation system provides an automated means for real‑time battle shaping crucial to complex F‑22A open‑air operational flight testing through shooter‑to‑target accredited weapons fly‑out simulations. As of September 2017, the Air Force had not demonstrated AARI readiness to support FY17‑18 Increment 3.2B IOT&E and will not be able to accredit the system due to lack of end‑to‑end verification of all functions and detailed validation of weapons fly‑out models.’

‘Without an accredited AARI system, the Air Force lacks the means of resolving operational mission‑level measures for F‑22A Increment 3.2B IOT&E in open‑air flight testing, and places pending FY18 F‑35 IOT&E open‑air NTTR testing in jeopardy since a fully functional AARI is required for F‑35 IOT&E.’

In short, the Nellis range complex, formally known as the NTTR, has a problem. The report clearly states that as of the start of Increment 3.2B IOT&E in September 2017, the USAF ‘was not able to provide the means to conduct open‑air testing on the NTTR using all of the appropriate air assets required by the IOT&E plan. IOT&E open‑air flight test execution will be inadequate unless the Air Force can provide the required assets for testing.’

A national asset
The NTTR is vitally important to the US military — it regularly supports complex test and evaluation by the Nellis-resident 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron. It’s the reason this important unit is located here. Indeed, the original IOT&E for the F-22 was flown on the NTTR by a dedicated test team from Edwards AFB. ‘We largely developed the tactics through trial and error with access to the best threat replication tools available on the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR),’ one pilot told Combat Aircraft last year.

Increment 3.2B is fundamental to F-22 capabilities, and clearly it places huge demands on the NTTR infrastructure and assets to test it to the limits and expose any weaknesses. Seemingly, the Nellis AARI (which is regarded as being world-leading) has not been able to move with the times and adequately instrument a modern weapon such as the AIM-120D, although such testing must have been completed for the F-15C, which has already fielded the missile.

Moreover, the air force is unable to provide the appropriate air assets to support the testing. Air assets points to ‘Red Air’ aggressors. Nellis is home to the 64th Aggressor Squadron (AGRS) F-16s, and recently the 18th AGRS from Eielson AFB, Alaska, has deployed its F-16s here. Presumably to support both the resident Weapons School and operational testing on the NTTR. In addition, Draken International flies contracted ‘Red Air’ support at Nellis with A-4 Skyhawks and L-159 ‘Honey Badgers’. So, there appears to be sufficient volume of ‘bad guys’ at Nellis for the F-22 testing.

The reference to a lack of ‘specific adversary air capabilities’ for Increment 3.2B IOT&E suggests that the USAF needs to evaluate the latest Raptor upgrade against a clear and very specific threat in a live flying scenario — which points to specialist aggressor ‘assets’.

The Groom Lake-based Air Force Test Center (AFTC) Det 3 ‘Red Hats’ remains responsible for test and evaluation of foreign materiel, and Detachment 3, 53rd Test and Evaluation Group (TEG) ‘Red Eagles’ is tasked with high-end aggressor training.

It was widely reported last year that a crash on the NTTR claimed the life of Lt Col Eric ‘Doc’ Schultz, a highly-experienced and well respected US Air Force test pilot, on September 5. Lt Col Schultz’ tragic death was shrouded in a veil of secrecy, which caught the attention of the aviation world and it appears that he was the Commanding Officer of ‘Red Hats’ when he was killed. Subsequent, unverified, reports suggest that Schultz was flying a Su-27 ‘Flanker’ derivative when he was killed.

The ‘Red Hats’ flies AFMC-owned ‘assets’ under the so-called Foreign Material Exploitation (FME) program. These ‘assets’ (including a Su-27P photographed over the NTTR in 2016) are classified and they are shrouded in secrecy, despite a number of sightings. Could it be that Lt Col Schultz’ accident has prompted the USAF to halt the flying of such specialist ‘assets’, pending formal investigation into the crash? This could explain the details in the Operational Test report.

If this is the case, it underlines the importance the USAF places on such aircraft to validate new capabilities. It might also explain why F-35 IOT&E has been pushed back to the end of 2018. If there was ever a time the USAF wanted to test air-to-air vulnerabilities, it would be in F-35 engagements against ‘specific adversary air capabilities’ in a realistic environment.
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
Raptor at its Raptor best, showing its low speed nose pointing capability......


oooopppsss! forgot the milk again!


and in all fairness the Russians have capitalized on OVT to a much greater extent than the US, but the Raptor's real forte is high altitude supercruise and being able to "penetrate" a an AA, heavily defended area, without causing a fuss, doing the do, and then getting out.. without giving away the element of surprise..

they will know you're there, they may know where you want to go, but they will have a very, very difficult task stopping you, and you have the best chance ever of going home and enjoying that "steak on the Barbe!

thanks Timepass!
 
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bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
general caption...A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor from the 95th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates flies over Syria March 5, 2018. 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. (U.S. Air National Guard photos by Staff Sgt. Colton Elliott) (this is a screen shot form b-roll

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For HI-RES go here;
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DVIDS note: DVIDS is 100% free to join and use. You must be a member to see HI-RES photos!
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
DoD watchdog: Air Force failed to effectively manage F-22 modernization
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  6 hours ago

WASHINGTON ― The U.S. Air Force ineffectively managed the stealthy F-22 Raptor’s modernization program, putting America’s air superiority at risk, the DoD Inspector General found in
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.

The F-22 program office failed to generate an appropriate contracting strategy, which led to delays and a final product that may not deliver “modernized capabilities necessary to sustain air superiority against rapidly evolving U.S. adversaries,” according to the report published Monday.

Reviewing the program office’s implementation of Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), a software development method that divides large projects into smaller portions to develop software in shorter time periods for one final product, DoDIG found the method resulted in the identification of multiple deficiencies late in development. The deficiencies required additional software upgrades, resulting in modernization schedule delays.

DoDIG found that because the program office did not update its contracting strategy for SAFe implementation, officials were unable to identify the best strategy to incentivize contractors.


But the program office was not the only entity at fault. The offices of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics and the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Acquisition, both failed to issue policy for implementing agile software development methods on weapon systems acquisitions, according to the agency.

The F-22 modernization program was divided into 10 separate but interrelated programs, ranging from improvements to radar and communication technology, electronic protection and resiliency to a new helmet mounted display and cuing system. Early delays “in one program can have a cascading effect on follow-on modernization programs,” according to the report.

So what can the program office and AT&L do to fix these problems?
The report advises AT&L to review and revise acquisition guidance for the implementation of agile software development methods for programs that include hardware and software. The report also recommends the office compile these lessons and share them with other DoD programs.

For the Air Force, the report recommends the program office craft a clear contracting strategy to best incentivize contractors prior to awarding orders for the next step in the modernization program. With a clear strategy, the office should be able to decrease delays and ensure the system delivered meets the requirements needed to sustain U.S. air superiority, according to the DoDIG.
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partly real world article
What F-35 Can Learn From F-22 Upgrade Hiccups

Mar 28, 2018
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Before there was “C2D2,” the Star Wars-evoking acronym for
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’s
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upgrade program, there was the
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Raptor’s “Scaled Agile Framework,” or SAFe.

The F-22 was the first Pentagon weapon system to implement “agile” software and hardware development methods. The Raptor modernization program transitioned from a more traditional approach to the SAFe method in 2014, in an attempt to reduce the number of deficiencies encountered during flight testing and to deliver capabilities to the warfighter faster.

Now, as the F-35 shifts to an “agile” development approach for its own modernization road map, the Joint Program Office (JPO) may do well to take some lessons learned from SAFe.

Instead of developing software in one large package, or block, SAFe uses 12-to-14 week periods to develop smaller portions of software that contribute to the final product. Under SAFe, software developers perform integrated testing during the development process, which they hope will reduce the number of deficiencies identified during flight testing and the number of unplanned software updates.

The upgrade program, which was established in 2003 and will run until 2026, will add critical capabilities to keep the F-22 relevant over its lifetime: Link 16, the tactical communications data link used by most fighter aircraft; enhanced friend-or-foe identification capabilities; sensor enhancements; a Helmet Mounted Display and Cuing System for improved tracking, targeting and weapons controls; and better defenses against jamming.

But the Pentagon’s Inspector General was critical of the U.S. Air Force’s management of the F-22 modernization program in a March report, particularly the contracting approach <insert link
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. Specifically, the IG called out the program office for failing to update its contracting strategy for SAFe implementation, which may jeopardize its ability to deliver the upgrades on time.

So far the program office has awarded two contracts for F-22 modernization: one in 2003 for up to $6 billion and another in 2013 for up to $6.9 billion. Both contracts are indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts with primarily cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery orders, according to the IG. The program office plans to award the next order in spring of 2018.

The Air Force’s failure to find an appropriate contracting strategy for SAFe is part of a wider problem in the Pentagon, the IG report claims. Neither the office of the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics or the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition have issued policy for implementing agile software development methods on weapon systems acquisitions.

“Without an appropriate contracting strategy, the Program Office may not deliver F-22 modernized capabilities necessary to sustain air superiority against rapidly evolving U.S. adversaries,” the IG wrote.

It is “imperative” that DOD address this problem by updating acquisition guidance, particularly as the use of agile software development methods increases, the report says.

The F-35 will likely feel the impact of any DOD policy changes. The JPO’s latest plan for F-35 follow-on modernization, called Continuous Capability Development and Delivery (C2D2), relies heavily on agile software development—smaller, incremental updates to the F-35’s software and hardware instead of one big drop, with the goal of speeding follow-on upgrades while still fixing remaining deficiencies in the Block 3F software load.

F-35 program executive officer Vice Adm. Mat Winter has compared the C2D2 approach to downloading iPhone apps.

“Envision in your head: the pilot jumps in a jet, fires it up, the panoramic cockpit display comes up,” said Winter. “Envision a little window that pops up that says ‘your latest EOTS [electro-optical distributed aperture system] software update is ready for download: yes or no?’ Similar to what you do on your smartphone.”

The JPO envisions C2D2 as consisting of a six-month enhancement and improvement software delivery cycle and a 12-month interval for modernization, according to Winter’s written testimony provided to the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee. The approach includes a sequence of two capability drops aligned with a cycle of “Technology Insertions,” which are designed to leverage rapid commercial off-the-shelf computer upgrades to keep pace with technology and minimize obsolescence while solving diminishing manufacturing source issues.

On a longer-term cycle, C2D2 also includes a “Technology Refresh” every eight to 10 years “to capture the next level of computing capacity,” Winter said. The JPO hopes this timeline will maintain “viable warfighting capability” throughout each cycle—a decision that was based on experience from the F-22.

The JPO is planning to award a Systems Engineering Phase II contract for C2D2 in spring 2018, according to Winter. The contracting vehicle the JPO uses could indicate whether the Pentagon is finally getting its arms around the right approach for agile software development.
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
Bet that sounded like Nails on a chalk board.
F22 Raptor belly flops at NAS Fallon
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Dammit!,,, you prolly ought to wait until you have a positive climb rate established before you suck that gear up, it will likely be repaired, no matter it what the cost!

on a positive note, it reminds us that smart people would be reopening the Raptor production line,,,,, I'll write the first check!

I'm sure I could go 10 Grand, or even 25, if I got to fly it!!!! put it on my Tab!
 
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