Forum: General F-22A Raptor forum

I just picked up Lou Drendels Squadron Signal book on the Raptor. On page 25 it shows all the armament combinations. There is one column for External combat that shows external hardpoints for 4 missiles and 2 fuel tanks. Are there any pictures showing these? I started looking through the photo gallery but nothing has shown up yet. I am sure they did this in the development stage.

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I have roughly three dozen pics of F-22's with 2x tanks, but pics with missiles are rare indeed (I only have one):

I'd imagine that pics with BOTH tanks and missiles are about as rare as a misplaced hair on Trump's head.

It really doenst make sense to load them externally unless there is a speed limit to open the bay doors Im not aware of. Also, with internal carriage of missiles you never know when they are loaded and when they are not. Wink

Thanks for the pics..................Ed

There is an inherent fashion “faux pas” with the round tanks on a canted airplane. Almost like sporting clothes with stripes and squares at the same time... At least so my wife tells me.

I would like to see the F-35 B and C's stealthy gun pod used for fuel, missiles, ect. Even if they made it a little less stealthy(so you could drop it without the tech getting into the wrong hands) and have your buddy hang back with say 8 amraams/AIM-9x in them. When you need them your buddy comes in and unleashes hell. Would this work all the time...no, but I hear Raptor needs more missiles and more fuel can't hurt. Also if you get into a close it fight stealth vs stealth you could fire a sworm of AIM-9x's and drop you tanks with a full inturnal missile load. I'm not a fighter pilot.I didn't make the cut(half blind in one eye), but I wish I was if only for a day. so I don't claim to know everything about air-to-air combat. I'd just liked the idea.

The F-35, at IOC, can hold 12 AMRAAMs and two Sidewinders, without the need to use the centerline station.

If the raptor is fully laden with AMRAAM's on it's external hardpoints. Then can it still carry external fuel tanks?

falcon17 wrote:

If the raptor is fully laden with AMRAAM's on it's external hardpoints. Then can it still carry external fuel tanks?

It doesn't look like it. The pic above with external missiles has a weapon pylon mounted on the wing pylon, so that would prevent the tank being carried on the same pylon. If it comes down to needing gas and weapons external, I'd imagine they'd do tanks on the inner pylons and weapons on the outer.

Last edited by aaam on Sep 27, 2011 - 11:46 PM; edited 1 time in total

Some notes:

F-22 can carry four AIM-120 externally, on separate pylons. It can not do that with tanks. The configuration with four AIM-20 and tanks is a ferry configuration, where the Raptor can carry two AIM-120s on the sides of each tank pylon. This is to ferry additional missiles only, the AIM-120 cannot be fired from this mounting, with or without tanks.

Regarding how many missiles, F-35 can carry internally, theoretically it could carry 50% more AIM-120s than F-22 or twice as many JDRADMs (if it isn't canceled) . However, there is no launcher available to actually do that. There was interest in developing the necessary launcher, but at the time USAF wasn't interested in anything that might be a threat to F-22 funding and so did not pursue it. USN/USMC order was not large enough for them to fund such a package on their own, even if they had been allowed to do so,. In fact, there would be little value to USMC for such a package unless it already existed. Now, the money probably isn't available. anyway.

Hi,
I have a question to the last picture: why are the missiles installed that far forward?
Thanks

aaam wrote:

F-22 can carry four AIM-120 externally, on separate pylons. It can not do that with tanks. The configuration with four AIM-20 and tanks is a ferry configuration, where the Raptor can carry two AIM-120s on the sides of each tank pylon. This is to ferry additional missiles only, the AIM-120 cannot be fired from this mounting, with or without tanks.

The armament sheets I've seen show a 'Non-Stealthy External Combat' configuration of 2 tanks on the inner pylons and 4 missiles on the outer pylons with the 2 missiles per pylon rails shown above. You're saying no external missiles can actually be fired?

There are two configurations where tanks and missiles are carried externally.

1. Two tanks on the internal pylons and 4 AMRAAMs on the outer pylons. These AMRAAMs can be fired.

2. One tanks and two AMRAAMs on EACH of the four pylons. These AMRAAms cannot be fired.

Those are ferry positions (and some fins have to be removed form the AMRAAMs to make them fit.

The way this works for combat is:
1. The F-22 ferries to an airbase near combat
2. Tanks and spare AMRAAMs are removed
3. F-22 fly's into combat
4. F-22 RTB and rearms & refuels
5. F-22 fly's into combat
6. F-22 RTB and rearms & refuels
7. F-22 fly's into combat
8. F-22 RTB
9. By this time more support assets should have arrived with more reloads.

Lightndattic wrote:

aaam wrote:

F-22 can carry four AIM-120 externally, on separate pylons. It can not do that with tanks. The configuration with four AIM-20 and tanks is a ferry configuration, where the Raptor can carry two AIM-120s on the sides of each tank pylon. This is to ferry additional missiles only, the AIM-120 cannot be fired from this mounting, with or without tanks.

The armament sheets I've seen show a 'Non-Stealthy External Combat' configuration of 2 tanks on the inner pylons and 4 missiles on the outer pylons with the 2 missiles per pylon rails shown above. You're saying no external missiles can actually be fired?

Ditto. I've also seen the non-stealthy external load. I can think of no practical reason not to provide the ability to carry tanks and combat-ready missiles.

Quote:

I have a question to the last picture: why are the missiles installed that far forward?

That puts them closer to the target.

Forum: General F-22A Raptor forum

Raptor armament pictures