If the US Air Force's F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter is still considered, despite its age, as the best air-to-air combat aircraft of the moment, the Lockheed Martin aircraft is not necessarily the same. devoid of certain weaknesses.
This is particularly the case in the Pacific theater, for which the combat autonomy of the F-22 is insufficient, as is the number of munitions carried in its holds. However, it seems that the US Air Force has found a solution in these areas.
Indeed, photos published on social networks show an F-22 carrying fuel tanks with a stealthy profile under the wings, as well as pods, just as stealthy, which could also carry additional air-to-air missiles, or additional passive sensors, such as an IRST.
The F-22 Raptor, still the ultimate air superiority fighter 27 years after its first flight
Since its first flight in September 1997, the F-22 Raptor has not only remained the American reference in terms of air superiority, but it remains universally recognized as a unique reference in terms of combat aircraft.
It must be said that the Raptor is the plane of all superlatives. It was thus the first aircraft designated as belonging to the famous, and sometimes controversial, 5th generation of combat aircraft, creating, as such, the specifications of what an aircraft had to integrate to belong to it, such as stealth. , data fusion, super-maneuverability or even super-cruise.
The F-22 is thus a multi-aspect stealth still unmatched to this day, even by the F-35, which only offers great stealth in the frontal and rear sector. Its two weapons bays allow it to maintain optimal stealth in air-air missions, with 6 AMRAAMs and 2 Sidewinders ready to fire.
It was, moreover, the first fighter with real data fusion, although significantly less than that of the Lightning II. It was also the first to be equipped with an AESA active antenna radar, the An/APG-77, which remains a benchmark in air-to-air detection, being capable of detecting and tracking a target at almost 600 km distance.
Its two Pratt&Whitney F-119 turbojets each deliver a dry thrust of 12 tonnes, allowing it to reach super-cruise, that is to say to support a supersonic level regime, without after-burner. This increases the engine thrust to almost 16 tonnes, giving the fighter a power-to-weight ratio greater than 1 in combat configuration.
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You can find more information and photos about this here:
https://www.twz.com/44181/f-22-raptor-spotted-flying-with-stealthy-underwing-pods
It is referenced in the article ))
Fabrice, thank you for your response. However, it seems to me that these are two different articles, although close.
We learn that a pod under the nose of the aircraft was under study during the design of the Raptor.
I indicated that this twz article was linked in the meta-defense article)
Looking at the photos, the tanks seem a little small, right?
Would you have an idea of their capacity (depending on wing dimensions, etc.) respectively that of a Rafale eg.
Thanks?
I would say supersonic 1200 liters.