Forum: F-22A Raptor

Since its conception in 1986,yes 1986 twenty years ago.The F-15 was still a young fighter. The Air Force’s F-22A Raptor fighter jet has been the focus of continued debate. The aircraft was originally intended to replace the aging F-15 fighter and create superiority in air-to-air combat operations. The F-22A, originally called the Advance Tactical Fighter (ATF), was designed to combat air threats posed by the Soviet Union. As the program took shape, the Kremlin fell and the air superiority threat from the Soviet Union vanished. With a diminishing air-to-air combat mission, the Air Force has assigned the F-22A new roles of air-to-ground combat and intelligence gathering. As a result, the aircraft continues to undergo modernization, and will for several more years.

But even if the F-22A were already adequately designed for today’s missions, the program has faced multiple set-backs, and continues to do so. Problems range from technical flaws (despite 20 years of research and development) to a cost that is higher per aircraft than any other in history, totaling over $65.4 billion dollars to date.2 The Air Force’s original intent had been to acquire 750 aircraft for their inventory. Today, that number is 183.3 This drop in numbers is due primarily to the technical difficulties and repeated cost overruns in the program. The cost of the aircraft has tripled while, in response, the number of aircraft requested has decreased.

In addition to an exorbitant cost-per-aircraft, the Pentagon recently completed a Follow-on Independent Test and Evaluation (FOT&E) on the F-22A’s existing systems that found 75 unresolved deficiencies. New problems that have cropped up include faulty cockpit actuators – which trapped a pilot in the jet, and he had to be rescued from his cockpit with chainsaws; uncommanded nose landing gear retractions, which recently caused an aircraft to fall on its main weapons bay doors – literally falling on its face; and concerns about the heat treatment of the booms, which may cause structural cracking. These problems have been reported to Congress by CRS, GAO, and even the Air Force. Problems have also been identified by the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E).

According to CRS, the F-22A has historically experienced problems with the Avionics, Airframe, Engine, Cockpit Canopy, and Maintenance and Support Requirements. These problems do not incorporate the cost of Class A mishaps to the aircraft. (A Class A mishap is one that results in over $1 million dollars in damage.) The F-22A has had three Class A mishaps over the past two years.

There is more to rating a fighter then specifications. The aircraft has to be able to generate a sortie, return from that sortie refuel,rearm and re-engage. You have to have a high O/R rate. Operational Ready. The least amount of assets devoted to that requirement the better. Lets say you have an aircraft that has been dropping a caged alignment due to a bad vertical gyro . Well when that aircraft is prepared for a mission,at least one other aircraft and crew has to be on standby for when this tail number goes REDBALL and drops to code 3. Now all of those other resources have to be devoted to the mission. The F-15 was very reliable aircraft to turn ,so was the A-10,F-5. The F-4 was not. the B-1 was the worse ever.
So that is one aspect. See the F-22 would have been a good front line fighter if it could have been deployed 15 yrs ago as it was intended to be. But the airframe and systems were flawed and derailed by politics. Just like the B-1. The airframe and systems are still a problem. The CAS Control Augmentation System is flawed. The weapons and avionics have had to be upgraded again and again just to keep it competitive. I will continue when i get back to the house. We are just beginning.

HaHaHa. It doesn't matter. The IF checks the spacial between ambient temp and target temp. Exhaust coolant temp,,,,,nope it will always be higher than ambient unless ACM air is injectected. Even so the ACM [Air Cycle Machine] will never overcome exhaust flow rates. Vmax is velocity max which is 101% power lever angle of attack plus mach 1.1. Good God you guys are so far out of your realm of knowledge of fighters that I have to stop.

a cost that is higher per aircraft than any other in history

Well the F-22A is certainly Not the most expensive aircraft in history. Looks like he doesn't really know what he's talking about or believes everything on Wiki....Check

Hey, if any of you have time to spare, can you read Eagle127's posts and tell me if the F-22 is overhyped?

Here's the link: http://www.irandefence.net/showthread.php?t=2241

Thanks.

If the F-22 did not fit into NATO hangars then you can't deploy it outside the US unless you want to park it out in the sun.
Not a good idea when you forward deploy it to say the Middle East.
A place where in some areas if you leave the plane outside for more than a day you'll end up with sand inside the engines.