Forum: F-22A Raptor

About the Low Speed record, I picked up a book about the Tomcat that is full of interviews with pilots, RIOs, and crew chiefs. In reguards to the F110 powered birds one interview said that for a special operation they got the NATOPS speed limit lifted and flew fast enough to tear off acess panels while another interview said they pushed 1.35M on the deck, which translates to roughly 890 KTAS or ~1030mph. That one interview is the only one to put out numbers, but all the flight crew who flew/rode the GE powered cats say it was fast beyond reason. The Tomcat TF30 was also a wider engine than the F110 so it has much more room to fit larger more powerfull engines and I believe that F119 was dimensionally compatible to the cats engine bay. If ~56K thrust took the F-14 to 1000 mph I imagine 70K could take it to 1150mph given that drag increases as a square of speed, but that us a moot point as 1030 mph already tore off panels and there is no knowing how the F119 and F110 compare in installed high speed low alt thrust.

As for the origional topic, the F119 is a thirsty engine at max power, but how long are you even going to need it running at max power for a TTC attempt? 4min? 5? Up at alt it wont use nearly the same amount of fuel and the engine can be near idle for most the trip back down so you could get away with 7-10k lb fuel possibly. ~40K lb wieght and 70K thrust.... makes me all warm and tingly inside. Besides, 1.7 Mach W/O AB at 60K feet?? That is a fast moving high altitude plane anyway you slice it.

This has been a fun thread to read, I learned much about BPR and their affects on performance. I tended to be more of an aerodynamics kind of guy in school, but wasnt bad at S&C either.