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MILITARY AIRCRAFT Air Forces Annual National Aircraft Index Military Aircraft Types
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
 
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
Country: USA
Type: Fighter
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
Service: 2005 - 2008
First Flight: 29 September 1990
Production: 122 as of July 2008

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It is primarily an air superiority fighter, but has multiple capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles. The United States Air Force considers the F-22 a critical component of the U.S. strike force.

Faced with a protracted and costly development period, the aircraft was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 during the three years before formally entering US Air Force service in December 2005, as the F-22A. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is the prime contractor and is responsible for the majority of the airframe, weapon systems and final assembly of the F-22. Program partner Boeing Integrated Defense Systems provides the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and all of the pilot and maintenance training systems.

The F-22 is claimed by multiple sources to be the most effective air superiority fighter in the world. The US Air Force states that the F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.


TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ( F-22 Raptor)

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 62 ft 1 in (18.90 m)
  • Wingspan: 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m)
  • Height: 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m)
  • Wing area: 840 ft (78.04 m)
  • Airfoil: NACA 64A?05.92 root, NACA 64A?04.29 tip
  • Empty weight: 43,430 lb (19,700 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 64,460 lb (29,300 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 83,500 lb (38,000 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2 x Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 Pitch Thrust vectoring turbofans, 35,000+ lb (156+ kN) each

Performance

  • Maximum speed:
    • At altitude: Mach 2.25 (1,500 mph, 2,414 km/h)
    • Supercruise: Mach 1.82 (1,220 mph, 1,963 km/h)
  • Range: 1,600 nmi (1,840 mi, 2,960 km) with 2 external fuel tanks
  • Combat radius: 410 nmi (471 mi, 759 km)
  • Ferry range: 2,000 mi (1,738 nmi, 3,219 km)
  • Service ceiling 65,000 ft (19,812 m)
  • Wing loading: 66 lb/ft (322 kg/m)
  • Thrust/weight:
    • With full internal fuel: 1.09 (18,000 Pounds)
    • With 50% internal fuel: 1.26 (9,000 Pounds)
  • Maximum g-load: -3.0/+9.0 g

Armament

  • Guns: 1 x 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A2 Vulcan gatling gun in starboard wing root, 480 rounds;
  • Air to air loadout: 6 x AIM-120 AMRAAM; 2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder;
  • Air to ground loadout: 2 x AIM-120 AMRAAM and 2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder as well as 2 x 1,000 lb (450 kg) JDAM or 2 x Wind Corrected Munitions Dispensers (WCMDs) or 8 x 250 lb (110 kg) GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs;
  • Additionally, four external hardpoints can be fitted to carry weapons or fuel tanks, each with a capacity of about 5,000 lb (2268 kg).