Learn about the F-22, a type of US banned aircraft

In order to overtake Russia in the arms race, the United States promoted the creation of fifth generation fighter aircraft. The first product was the F-22 fighter with many significant features, however, this type of aircraft is still limited.

In the 1990s, Russia was overwhelmed by difficulties, but their weapons, especially modern air defense systems and fourth generation aircraft such as Mig-29 and Su-27, still reached many countries. Favorite family.

This challenges the US military monopoly. Three American companies, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and General Dynamic, have been tasked with coordinating to design a fifth-generation aircraft that outperforms fourth-generation aircraft that dominate the sky. gender.

F-22 plane is performing.

Accordingly, fifth-generation aircraft need to meet strict requirements:

1. Invisibility: Must be capable of operating 24/7 without being detected by enemy radar
2. Must be capable of cruising at supersonic speeds, being able to achieve speeds of Mach 1.5 (510m per second) without burning a second fuel.
3. Must be extremely flexible, allowing for good performance at high speeds
4. The radar system is responsive, allowing the pilot to always control the battle in all directions
5. Ability to coordinate well with airplanes as well as other weapons

Based on the design launched in 1990, YF-22, in April 1997, the first F-22 was born and was named Raptor (meaning raptors). In September 2002, the US Air Force decided to rename the aircraft to F / A-22 to describe its comprehensive attack capabilities including all air targets. By December 2005, the aircraft was renamed to F-22A after completing combat tests.

The main weapon compartment in F-22 body

The F-22 began production limited in August 2001 with 49 units at Lockheed Martin's factory and according to contracts signed by the US Air Force, until 2011, they will buy 183 F- 22.

Although the US Air Force's demand for these aircraft was 381, but due to lack of funds, the F-22 project was officially suspended indefinitely by Robert Gate. Therefore, as of July 2008, the number of F-22s that the US Air Force was assigned was 122.

Currently, Lockheed Martin has a research program to create a dedicated ground attack version for F-22, FB-22 with delta wings, long range and ability to carry up to 15,000 kg of weapons (in which There are 4,500 kgs hanging outside) and the F-22N version can be used on the airport train.

Technology for manufacturing F22 fighter jets

F-22 fabrication materials include: 39% Ti tan, 24% composite, 16% aluminum and 1% thermoplastic by weight. Titanium is used in large quantities for bearing and heat resistance for critical details. Carbon composite fiber is used to cover the body frame, air intakes, and wing wings to increase invisibility.

The F-22 cockpit is modernly designed with 6-color LCD monitors, controlled by the Kaiser electronic system, capable of displaying aerial and ground targets. In addition, hazards along with target search data are displayed on two other LCD screens.

The flying helmet display system (HUD) will provide parameters such as target status, weapon status and assist the pilot to shoot. The parameters displayed on HUD will be recorded by a camera for analysis after the battle.

Weapon system of F22

The F-22 is equipped with an M61A2 6-barrel cannon on the right flank, just above the air intake. However, 480 reserve bullets only helped this weapon work for a short time because this 20 mm caliber cannon could fire at 100 bullets per minute.

The F-22 with the AIM-9 Sidewinder rocket mounted on the hard mount on the wing.

The F-22 has three collapsible weapons compartments located in the body: a large compartment below the body and two small compartments on the side of the inlet. In addition, it also has four rigid wings on the wings, usually just to mount the extra oil tank in patrol missions, but it can also mount rockets, which will greatly reduce invisibility.

The carrying weapons of F-22 may vary depending on the mission. For air combat, the F-22 will carry 6 long-range AIM-120C AMRAAM missiles (range of 90 km) and two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles in two side-bays.

To attack the ground, four AIM-120C missiles in the middle of the body will be replaced by two smart bombs GBU-32 JDAM of 204 kg (or remove all 6 AMRAAM missiles to replace with two bombs GBU-30 JDAM type 454 kg), During the patrol mission, the F-22 carries only four auxiliary oil tanks and eight AIM-9 short-range missiles.

Install AIM-120C rocket to F-22.

The F-22 AN / APG-77 radar was produced by Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. Each of these radars contains 2,000 signal transmission devices, allowing for frequency-varying transmissions on a broadband band, which prevents the F-22 from being detected by enemy's passive radar.

The communication and positioning device on the F-22 named TRW CNI produced by Boeing is responsible for ensuring communication throughout the journey, sharing the goals of coordinating and recognizing friends and enemies. In addition, the F-22 is equipped with LTN-100G laser navigation device and GPS and sensor landing system manufactured by Northrop Grumman.

F22 aircraft engine system

The F-22 is equipped with two Pratt & Whitney F-119-100 engines. F-119 is a powerful gas turbine engine that can generate thrust up to 156 kN.

However, the F-119 engine is only a 2-way engine capable of adjusting the direction, meaning that the exhaust mouth of the F-119 can only be adjusted in the upper and lower directions, more outdated than the multi-directional engine. The direction of Russia's Mig-29OVT and Su-35BM aircraft, so the F-22's maneuverability is still inferior to these aircraft.

Test of F-119-100 engine thrust equipped on F-22.

The production of the F-22 was the result of a combination of investment by many large equipment manufacturing companies with leading-edge technologies, so the cost of F-22 was terrible. The entire cost of the F-22A development program until the first production was 141 units in May 2009 was 65 billion USD, which means an average of 461 million USD per unit.

Although the manufacturer said that if produced in large quantities, the cost of the F-22 could be reduced to $ 137.5 million each but this seems unlikely to be realized because the US Government stopped the chapter. F-22 and this aircraft are also prohibited from being exported.

Even though it is the most expensive fighter in the world, the F-22 has not reached the perfect level. Technical problems still occur, typically the F-22 pilot stuck in the cockpit on April 10, 2006, causing rescue workers to use a chainsaw to rescue. More seriously, two accidents occurred in December 2004 in Nevada and March 25, 2009, causing the US Air Force to lose two expensive aircraft and one pilot died.

Anyway, when the Russian Sukhoi T-50 plane has not yet been launched, the F-22 still bears the pride of being the only fifth-generation aircraft in the world, a symbol worthy of nations wishing to confront with the United States to consider. Recently, when the nuclear issue in the Korean peninsula became tense, the US increased its military presence in Northeast Asia, including the "super" 12 F-22 aircraft. to Kadena air base on Okinawa island, southern Japan.