Forum: General F-22A Raptor forum

BINGO!!! On <a href="http://www.airliners.net">airliners.net</a> I found this very rare shot of a Raptor (00-4012) with lowered arresting hook: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1171720/L/

Anybody who can/will provide us close-up shots of the Raptor´s arresting gear? The F-16.net team would be very grateful!

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If you've got acces to Jay Miller's excellent book on the F-22 by Aerofax there are a lot of closeups of the tail hook. It's amazing the attention to detail Lockheed spent. Even the edges of all of those doors, narrow as they are, are edge-aligned.

http://www.amazon.com/Lockheed-Martin-2 ... 608&sr=1-2

If anyones interested, here is video of the F-22's arresting gear in action at Kadena...Check

http://www.ntv.co.jp/news/asx/070316068_300k.asx

I always thought it was there for RCS purposes, I mean, besides separating the two TVC engine nozzles and channeling their thrust it also reduced the RCS. A pointed out edge is better than a blunt and flat surface for stealth.

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

PhillyGuy wrote:

I always thought it was there for RCS purposes, I mean, besides separating the two TVC engine nozzles and channeling their thrust it also reduced the RCS. A pointed out edge is better than a blunt and flat surface for stealth.

No doubt it's shaped the way it is for stealth purposes. As for whether it houses any super secret avionics, I don't know. If it's meant to house something inside there, it could easily have been made "non stealthy" yet aerodynamic. Look at the tail pods between the engines on the Su-27/30/35/etc. There's obviously something back there. I'm not so sure if there's much avionics gear in the F-22's tail extension. It might just be there to improve aerodynamic performance and stealth properties. And by aerodynamic performance, I mean aerodynamic performance of the exhaust gases in addition to the main airflow mass coming off the top and bottom portions of the fuselage. One more thing to consider... wake turbulence. The F-22's aerodynamic design supposedly aims to reduce wake turbulence which can be detected by pulse-doppler radar (what does your local weather man use to detect storms, clouds, etc.?). You want smooth flow off the back end of the aircraft when it's cruising along at high altitude.

In conclusion, I'd guess that anything housed in the F-22's tail fairing is more of an afterthought. The primarily purpose for this design feature is likely increased aerodynamic & propulsion performance and, as you suggested, stealth.

Thanks to checksixx for his video link of the F-22's arresting gear in action at Kadena AB!

Welcome To The Twilight Zone Rolling Eyes

What are your news, Mushmouth?

sferrin wrote:

The thing about the radar blockers in the F-22's exhaust is it's not like it's a secret.

http://tinyurl.com/3nh2wnu

Quote:

Screech, the F135 and the JSF Engine War
Posted by Graham Warwick at 3/17/2011 1:33 PM CDT
...
Pratt points out that the F119 and F135 are the only production engines with stealthy augmentors. Their design eliminates conventional spray bars and flame holders and integrates multi-zone reheat fuel injection into curved vanes that block the line-of-sight to the turbine.
...

The "spike" in the back of the jet is not a radar blocker. The inner portions are removable panels called keelson panels or AMNS panels that are removed when the engines are pulled. Arresting gear actuators and linkages are housed in the rest of the "spike"

Raptor_DCTR wrote:

The "spike" in the back of the jet is not a radar blocker.

yes, sure. I just can't understand how topic moved from 'sting' thing to blockers
and - 'sting' itself

flateric wrote:

sferrin wrote:

The thing about the radar blockers in the F-22's exhaust is it's not like it's a secret.

http://tinyurl.com/3nh2wnu

Quote:

Screech, the F135 and the JSF Engine War
Posted by Graham Warwick at 3/17/2011 1:33 PM CDT
...
Pratt points out that the F119 and F135 are the only production engines with stealthy augmentors. Their design eliminates conventional spray bars and flame holders and integrates multi-zone reheat fuel injection into curved vanes that block the line-of-sight to the turbine.
...

Yes, which is accomplished by the shape of the augmenter section of the ENGINE, and not the "spike" shape of the the arresting gear and keelson section. There is NOTHING in the "spike" other than the keelson panels and the arresting gear linkage. If you still don't believe me or checksixx, then whatever. You will believe whatever you want.

Raptor_DCTR wrote:

If you still don't believe me or checksixx, then whatever. You will believe whatever you want.

err, once again, I did know it from the beginning - if you have read my previous post Confused

I never mixed both things up

Forum: General F-22A Raptor forum

What's the little "stinger" on the F-22?