F-22 Raptor News

September 12, 2002 (by Jeff Hollenbeck) - The F-22 Raptor has for the first time successfully conducted a test flight while carrying external stores under its wings.
During the late August test at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., two radar-guided AIM-120 missiles were suspended from pylons attached to the aircraft's two outboard hardpoints. The F-22 is designed to carry weapons internally, but weapons also can be carried externally on two inboard and two outboard hardpoints during deployments or during military operations when stealth is not critical to mission success.