Pilot: Raptor rules the sky passing tests flawlessly

Valley Press ^ | February 21, 2004 | ALLISON GATLIN

[BenLurkin]

The most advanced and sophisticated fighter ever created is proceeding on schedule, passing its test program with flying colors. "The F/A-22 is without question a marvelous airplane," said Lockheed Martin test pilot John Fergione.

Fergione briefed attendees at the Antelope Valley Board of Trade's Business Outlook Conference Friday on the F/A-22 Raptor, the latest member of the Air Force arsenal.

The aircraft's main attributes - the ability to fly supersonic without using afterburners, stealth, extreme agility and advanced avionics - are nothing new, Fergione said. What is different is to have them all in one package.

"The F/A-22 is the first plane ever built that does all of these," he said.

The eight Air Force operational test pilots putting the fighter through its paces at Edwards Air Force Base regularly face six aggressor aircraft with two Raptors, winning handily in the simulated engagements, he said.

"Their performance tells the tale; the Raptor really does rule the skies," Fergione said. "We are so far from a fair fight it is incredible."

In developing the F/A-22, Lockheed Martin built upon the knowledge of stealth technology it gained with the F-117 stealth fighter.

"I like to call it second-generation stealth," Fergione said.

The capability to elude enemy radar has impressed the operational test pilots that have been testing the aircraft at Edwards AFB.

Although the aircraft has had difficulties with the sophisticated avionics software, those bugs have been worked out in the last year, Fergione said.

He flew with the latest software himself earlier this week and it performed "just about flawlessly. The avionics suite is simplicity personified." The program itself is healthy and on track to meet the operational deadline, with solid support from the Air Force and Congress, Fergione said. So far, 25 of the aircraft have been built, with 19 more planned for production or modification this year.

[thoughtomator]

All it needs now is a mission!

[demlosers]

Fergione said. So far, 25 of the aircraft have been built, with 19 more planned for production or modification this year.

Enough for the first F22 fighter squadron.

[freebilly]

[VOA]

"Into the blue"
(and the bad guys can't see it!)

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

"Their performance tells the tale; the Raptor really does rule the skies," Fergione said. "We are so far from a fair fight it is incredible."

I never was a fan of "fair fights" when it might get one of our guys killed.

So I approve whole heartedly.

[bogdanPolska12]

USAF Rules!

[Mr Rogers]

Don't doubt it is pretty good - supercruise + stealth will make it formidable. But I wouldn't trust a Lockheed pilot talking about a Lockheed product - my experience has been a string of Lockheed lies.

[demlosers]

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[CyberAnt]

Weird looking.

[El Gran Salseron]

How does it achieve supersonic speed without afterburners?

[Fee]

A lot of people do not realize that foreign countries have good technical knowledge of electronics and software. It is a matter of time that they can create a reasonable ECM backed by large numbers of reasonably good aircrafts (SU-29, SU-30, Mirage 2000, Rafale) can challenge our F-15, F-16 and F/A-18's. We need something that is a quantum leap over current aircraft technologies. The F-22 is one of the solutions, now we need to find a way to mass produce it at reasonable cost. I hope we are not stupid and greedy to sell them to any country overseas. This is a technology we keep to ourselves just like the B-2 and F-117.

[Pukin Dog]

Big-ass engines and not much drag.

[GeronL]

Believe it or not the plane that lost out to the F-22, which was called the F-23, was even cooler looking. It didn't have both vertical and horizontal tails, it had one set that did the job of both. The USAF thought it was too radical a change (as if the F-22 wasn't!)

The F-22 is a wonderful fighter!! I'm glad it won, but lets not let the YF-23 Black Widow II be forgotten... =o)

Only 2 were built (stored at Edwards AFB)

---

The F-22 is the winner of course....

[Redleg Duke]

Tom Dachel is "deeply saddened".

[aruanan]

How does it achieve supersonic speed without afterburners?

More stringent CAFE standards.

[Redleg Duke]

By going real fast!

[Wingy]

Big engines,,,uhh REALLY BIG Engines. Big engines go fast.

Got it now?

[Pukin Dog]

The Black Widow lost because their team was cheap. They decided to leave off the vectored thrust until production, because they had such a superior design. Their aircraft had more stealth, better range and was faster than the F-22. Unfortunetly for them, the F-22 had it's vectoring working and was more manuverable and had better high-alpha stability. That competition could have come out very differently, had the F-23 come to the party fully dressed.