Forum: General F-22A Raptor forum

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I have a few questions regarding the structural strength of the F-22. I know next to nothing about it, and searching online hasn't helped me either. My question is, how strong is the F-22 structurally when compared to other platforms such as the rugged F-15 or Su-35 or even the PAK-FA? Are the materials used in the F-22 a factor in its structural strength?

If you mean the bird that belly landed on a runway... that was some serious hit (from the looks of the video at least). And the fact that it didn't just break apart is a testament to the Raptor's toughness:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faB5bIdksi8

Nah that was the last flight of the YF-22. FLCS PIO issue.

The one I'm talking about was one of the original batch of test F-22's, which went out of control doing some test with external fuel tanks due to (another) FLCS issue. It's not easy programming a computer to fly a plane I guess

Will say the FLCS is quite good now though. At least so we think.

Flyboy: Just seeking clarification. Is there a reason the F-22 in the 11g event (positive according to this site's incident report) did not fly again? I would assume that structural over-stressing would be one reason to permanently ground a plane but it sounds like the plane came through like a trooper.

The one I'm talking about was one of the original batch of test F-22's, which went out of control doing some test with external fuel tanks due to (another) FLCS issue. It's not easy programming a computer to fly a plane I guess

Will say the FLCS is quite good now though. At least so we think.

FLCS sucks a$$ in humid environments.

Not sure exactly what incident you are referring to. There were no departures with tanks during EMD. In fact, there were only a couple during the entire EMD phase, and both were remedied with control law changes. One of those has been referenced many times on this site, and is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOro3MDF_sI.

Huh????
In this context, the "FLCS" that FB is referring to is the flight control laws (the OFP). That's all "ones and zeroes" on the jet - not sure how humidity could affect those. Maybe you are referring to issues with reliability of the processor or other hardware in humid environments???


As to the -11g airframe, the story at the time was that they estimated that the cost to tear down the structure enough to allow adequate inspection/analysis, and then rebuild it, was not worth it (even if it was found that everything was okay). If I recall the story correctly (it has been a while) it wasn't until much later (i.e. well after the decision was made), that they finally did the actual teardown and found some damage (warping, I think). (This is, by the way, another issue that led to a "fixing" claw update.)

Interesting. Looks like the Raptor is structurally a strong fighter. On the other hand, I've read on Deagle and some Russian sources that the MiG-35 and the PAK-FA is designed to withstand a sustained 10-11g. Does this claim hold any merit? I can't trace the source of this claim, but wikipedia uses these numbers.