Forum: F-22A Raptor

I'm curious, what does the F-22 do for a Pitot tube? I assume that a Pitot would show up on radar. Thus, it would either be hidden or built in. The Pitot on the F-117 is on the little thingies jutting out front right? The YF-22 or prototype had a huge rake thing out front to do the same thing as a Pitot right? Where did that go for the F-22A?

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Correct me if i'm wrong, but i think everything is on the Air data probe. Pitot, total temp, AOA, and static pressure.

Elite 1K Joined: Aug 19, 2004 - 09:19 AM Posts: 1092

The F-22 has two pitot probes (one on each side of the nose). Although I'm no expert, I assume that these pitot probes are contoured/angled/faceted so as to deflect radar energy just like the various other parts of the aircraft. The pitot boom that was on the YF-22 and the early production prototype F-22s is only for flight testing and I doubt it's stealthy. The pitot probes on the F-22 are not static probes too (i.e. pitot-static probes). The static probes are flush with the airframe in various locations near the pitot probes. At least that's how it was for the YF-22. I'm not 100% sure about the F-22. But yeah... you can make a pitot probe that sticks out of the airframe stealthy too (shape wise). They no doubt have stealthy RAM coatings to further reduce the signature.

External pitot tubes (at least 2). And below is an af.mil pic of one behind the tanker. You can just make 'em out on either side of the radome:

I'll also venture a guess and say that the technology from the F-117 to "stealth-ify" the pitot probes got carried over to the Raptor. Even with tubes hangin' off of it, the RCS is still wicked tiny. Cool

I see it now. This picture is perfect.

Ok, other questions, how do aircraft and especially the stealthy ones calculate AOA? I guess you'd get odd flow into the pitot, but I haven't learned it in class yet.

Same as any other airplane; the pitot and AoA probes do have to be stealth, but more important they have to do their job. I'm sure the engineers did alot of research, and placed the probes where they'd get good clean airflow through all areas of the flight envelope.

Incorporation of those pitot probes were a cost savings measure. They are also a dominant RCS signature source in the forward and side sectors. The original ATF proposal was for a flush air data system that would have cost many $ millions.

If anyone is interested - it's not called a radome on the F-22. it's called an IFB - Integrated Fore Body. Go figure.....Probably had to call it that to get it past Congress....

What I'd love to know, and yes, I know it's OPSEC so don't actually answer Wink

, is how the plane can be stealthy and still transmit and receive its own radar waves Confused

? I know you could tell me, but then you'd have to kill me and I want to live to see another airshow Laughing

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Umm I thought the whole point of the datalinks and the long range radar was that one raptor (or an AWACs) way behind the attacking aircraft would use its radar to detect/track targets... the radar data is transmitted to the attacking aircraft (that doesn't have its radar on) and uses this information to target and fire BVRAAMs, its the same system as Typhoons... just without the stealth Wink

Elite 1K Joined: Aug 19, 2004 - 09:19 AM Posts: 1092

parrothead wrote:

What I'd love to know, and yes, I know it's OPSEC so don't actually answer Wink

, is how the plane can be stealthy and still transmit and receive its own radar waves Confused

? I know you could tell me, but then you'd have to kill me and I want to live to see another airshow Laughing

!

I would just look up "Low Probability of Intercept" AND Radar on google and see what comes up. Also try looking up "Frequency Agile" AND Radar. While the details are no doubt classified, I'm sure you can find some of the basics online. Electrical engineering isn't my thing, so I have little to offer on this subject.

Forum: F-22A Raptor

F-22/Stealth plane Pitot tube