F-22 Raptor Fires Record-High 28 Missiles

Not sure how they pulled this off, but here is the article:

US Air Force F-22 Raptor Fires Record-High 28 Missiles During Trial

A US Air Force F-22 Raptor has successfully loaded and fired a record-high 28 air-to-air missiles during a weapon system evaluation at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.

The service’s 94th Fighter Squadron and 94th Fighter Generation Squadron initiated the live-fire test, employing more than $14 million of missiles.

According to the Air Combat Command, the squadrons demonstrated a “high-level of proficiency” while firing the weapons from the stealth tactical fighter aircraft.

“This just shows that we’re at the top of our game right now,” Staff Sgt. Edgar Baez-Lopez said. “As the 1st Fighter Wing, we’re already held to those high standards, but even for us, 28 air-to-air missiles is unheard of, and it’s record-setting for a reason.”

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/10/14/us-air-force-f-22-raptor-missiles/

I'm looking at this and trying to figure out how this is possible.

I.... don't see how these could be AMRAAM's? Even with doubled up racks underwing...it would still come up short. I wonder... if the AIM-260 counts as "2" missiles IF it's a two stage?

Still, you'd need to be carrying 14 of them!

I.... don't see how these could be AMRAAM's? Even with doubled up racks underwing...it would still come up short. I wonder... if the AIM-260 counts as "2" missiles IF it's a two stage?

Still, you'd need to be carrying 14 of them!

They would need to carry 5 missiles on each hard point to get to 28 in total, assuming 6 AIM-120 and 2 AIM-9 internally. Never seen a rack that could do that.

This reads more like a reload and rearm exercise, the F-22's air to air loadout is 6 AMRAAMs and 2 Sidewinders. Another article about this event says this is over 2 weeks, not all at once.

This reads more like a reload and rearm exercise, the F-22's air to air loadout is 6 AMRAAMs and 2 Sidewinders. Another article about this event says this is over 2 weeks, not all at once.

Yes, but in the same article they say:

According to the Air Force, the F-22 Raptor carries eight missiles when sent for air-to-air missions, six AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders. It’s not clear what prompted the two squadrons to put that 20 more missiles than the standard onto a F-22 for the test, if it was a challenge or something else. But it worked. 28 missiles were loaded onto the wings’ hardpoints and the fighter’s internal arms bays. While airborne the fighter jet successfully fired off the full payload, worth approximately $14 million. It’s a big deal, considering that the F-22 has been in service since 2005 and no team has come close to that.

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/an-air-force-f-22-raptor-record-number-air-to-air-missiles/

This reads more like a reload and rearm exercise, the F-22's air to air loadout is 6 AMRAAMs and 2 Sidewinders. Another article about this event says this is over 2 weeks, not all at once.

Yes, but in the same article they say:

According to the Air Force, the F-22 Raptor carries eight missiles when sent for air-to-air missions, six AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders. It’s not clear what prompted the two squadrons to put that 20 more missiles than the standard onto a F-22 for the test, if it was a challenge or something else. But it worked. 28 missiles were loaded onto the wings’ hardpoints and the fighter’s internal arms bays. While airborne the fighter jet successfully fired off the full payload, worth approximately $14 million. It’s a big deal, considering that the F-22 has been in service since 2005 and no team has come close to that.

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/an-air-force-f-22-raptor-record-number-air-to-air-missiles/

Might be journalist mistake then. The maximum number of missiles the F-22 can carry is 16, with 8 internal and 8 external. Here is the original article.

https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article/318 ... sep-22-12/

Might be journalist mistake then. The maximum number of missiles the F-22 can carry is 16, with 8 internal and 8 external. Here is the original article.

https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article/318 ... sep-22-12/

I tend to agree with you.

In theory, if F-22 has the same pylon as F-15, It can probably carry 4 missile on each pylon

That still only gets you to 24, not 28

That still only gets you to 24, not 28

Hardly, matters as neither type would ever carry that number of missiles in the "Real World". Hell, I've heard a number of pilots laugh at even the suggestion of doing so........

I think everyone is taking this too literal. Most likely the article has a typo and that an F-22 flying multiple sorties fired a total of 28 missiles in 4 different test flights. MAYBE they didnt tell the whole truth and that they successfully tested SACMs... and that is a big maybe.

In theory, if F-22 has the same pylon as F-15, It can probably carry 4 missile on each pylon

2D1C2E59-7954-4B19-98F2-41508D1DD0DB.jpeg

Which would get you to 24, but we haven't seen any evidence the outer pylons have even been used in service. As has been pointed out already, on this site no less, some journo f--ked up the reporting. It was 28 for the exercise not 28 carried by one F-22 (which it cannot do).

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/4 ... ir-missile

some important new details about the Modular Advanced Missile have been obtained by Steve Trimble, Aviation Week’s Defense Editor, and a friend of The War Zone. As well as confirming that the weapon is an AAM, these include the fact that “a kinematic demonstration from a fighter,” in other words, a live test launch, is planned at some point in the future.

Could it be this:

the Peregrine, another Raytheon design, a new medium-range missile that combines superior performance as well as small size, which could effectively double the number of missiles that fighters such as the F-35 or F-22

1 thought comes to mind.