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| F-22 Raptor | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| F-22A Raptor at 2008 Andrews AFB airshow | |
| Role | Stealth air superiority fighter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Boeing Defense, Space & Security |
| First flight | 7 September 1997[1] |
| Introduction | 15 December 2005 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Produced | F-22: 1996–2011[2] |
| Number built | 195 (eight test and 187 operational) aircraft[2] |
| Program cost | US$66.7 billion[3] |
| Unit cost | US$150 million (flyaway cost for FY2009)[4] |
| Developed from | Lockheed YF-22 |
| Developed into | Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA Lockheed Martin FB-22 |
The aircraft was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 during the years prior to formally entering USAF service in December 2005 as the F-22A. Despite a protracted and costly development period, the United States Air Force considers the F-22 a critical component of U.S. tactical air power, and claims that the aircraft is unmatched by any known or projected fighter.[6] Lockheed Martin claims that the Raptor's combination of stealth, speed, agility, precision and situational awareness, combined with air-to-air and air-to-ground combat capabilities, makes it the best overall fighter in the world today.[7] Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, former Chief of the Australian Defence Force, said in 2004 that the "F-22 will be the most outstanding fighter plane ever built."[8]
The high cost of the aircraft, a lack of clear air-to-air combat missions because of delays in the Russian and Chinese fifth-generation fighter programs, a U.S. ban on Raptor exports, and the ongoing development of the planned cheaper and more versatile F-35 resulted in calls to end F-22 production.[N 1] In April 2009, the U.S. Department of Defense proposed to cease placing new orders, subject to Congressional approval, for a final procurement tally of 187 operational aircraft.[10] The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 lacked funding for further F-22 production. The final F-22 rolled off the assembly line on 13 December 2011 during a ceremony at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.[11]
Starting in 2010, the F-22 was plagued by problems with its pilot oxygen systems which contributed to one crash and death of a pilot. In 2011 the fleet was grounded for four months before resuming flight operations, but reports of oxygen systems issues have continued.[12] In July 2012, the Air Force announced that the hypoxia-like symptoms experienced were caused by a faulty valve in the pilots' pressure vest; the valve was replaced and changes to the filtration system were also made.
Contents
Development
Origins
Main articles: Advanced Tactical Fighter and Lockheed YF-22
In 1981 the U.S. Air Force developed a requirement for an Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) as a new air superiority fighter to replace the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. This was influenced by the emerging worldwide threats, including development and proliferation of Soviet Su-27 "Flanker"- and MiG-29 "Fulcrum"-class fighter aircraft. It would take advantage of the new technologies in fighter design on the horizon including composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight-control systems, more powerful propulsion systems, and stealth technology. A request for proposals (RFP) was issued in July 1986 and two contractor teams, Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics and Northrop/McDonnell Douglas,
were selected on 31 October 1986 to undertake a 50-month demonstration
phase, culminating in the flight test of two prototypes, the YF-22 and the YF-23.[13][14][15]
Each design team produced two prototypes, one for each of the two engine options. The Lockheed-led team chose to employ thrust vectoring for enhanced pitch performance, a useful capability in dogfights. The ATF's increasing weight and cost drove out some features during development. A dedicated infra-red search and track (IRST) system was downgraded from multi-color to single color and then deleted, the side-looking radars were deleted and the ejection seat requirement was downgraded from a fresh design to the existing McDonnell Douglas ACES II.[16]
After a 90-day flight test validation of the prototype air vehicles, the YF-22 was then announced by Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Donald Rice as the winner of the ATF competition on 23 April 1991.[17] The YF-23 design was more stealthy and faster, but the YF-22 was more agile.[18] The aviation press speculated that the YF-22 was also more adaptable to the Navy's Navalized Advanced Tactical Fighter (NATF), but the U.S. Navy abandoned NATF by 1992.[19] In 1991, the air force planned to buy 650 aircraft.[20]
Production and procurement
Several design changes were made from the YF-22 for production. The swept-back angle on the wing's leading edge was decreased from 48° to 42°, while the vertical stabilizer area was decreased by 20%. To improve pilot visibility, the canopy was moved forward 7 inches (178 mm), and the engine intakes were moved rearward 14 inches (356 mm). The shape of the wing and stabilator trailing edges was refined to improve aerodynamics, strength, and stealth characteristics.[24][25] Also, the vertical stabilizer was shifted rearward.[26]
During the development process the aircraft continued to gain weight at the cost of range and aerodynamic performance, even as capabilities were deleted or delayed in the name of affordability.[27]
F-22 production was split up over many subcontractors across 46 states, in a strategy to increase Congressional support for the program.[28][29] However the production split, along with the implementation of several new technologies were likely responsible for increased costs and delays.[30] Many capabilities were deferred to post-service upgrades, reducing the initial cost but increasing total project cost.[31] Each aircraft required "1,000 subcontractors and suppliers and 95,000 workers" to build.[32] The F-22 was in production for 15 years, at a rate of roughly two per month.[33]
In April 2006, the cost of the F-22 was assessed by the Government Accountability Office to be $361 million per aircraft. By April 2006, $28 billion had been invested in F-22 development and testing; while the Unit Procurement Cost was estimated at $177.6 million in 2006, based on a production run of 181 aircraft.[36][37] It was estimated by the end of production, $34 billion will have been spent on procurement, resulting in a total program cost of $62 billion, around $339 million per aircraft. The incremental cost for an additional F-22 was estimated at about $138 million.[23][38] In March 2012, the GAO increased the estimated cost to $412 million per aircraft.[39][40]
Ban on exports
No opportunity for export currently exists because the export sale of the F-22 is barred by American federal law.[44] Current customers for U.S. fighters are either acquiring earlier designs such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, or are waiting to acquire the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II (Joint Strike Fighter), which contains technology from the F-22 but is designed to be cheaper, more flexible, and available for export.[45] The F-35 will not be as agile as the F-22 or fly as high or as fast, but its radar and avionics will be more advanced.[46] On 27 September 2006, Congress upheld the ban on foreign sales of the F-22;[47] and confirmed this in December 2006.[48]The Japanese government showed interest in the F-22 for its Replacement-Fighter program.[49] However, a sale would need approval from the Pentagon, State Department and Congress. It was stated that the F-22 would decrease the number of fighters needed by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), reducing engineering and staffing costs. In August 2009, it was reported that the F-22 would require increases to the military budget beyond the historic 1 percent of GDP.[50] In June 2009, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Japan still sought the F-22.[51]
Some Australian politicians and defense commentators have proposed that Australia should purchase F-22s instead of the F-35.[52][53] In 2006, Kim Beazley. leader of the Australian Labor Party supported this proposal on the grounds that the F-22 is a proven, highly capable aircraft, while the F-35 is still under development.[54] However, Australia's Howard government ruled out purchase of the F-22, as its release for export is unlikely, and lacks sufficient ground/maritime strike capacity.[55] The following year, the newly-elected Rudd Government ordered a review of plans to procure the F-35 and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, including an evaluation of the F-22's suitability. The then Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon stated: "I intend to pursue American politicians for access to the Raptor".[56] In February 2008, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he had no objection to F-22 sales to Australia.[57] However the RAAF found that the "F-22 Raptor cannot perform the strike or close air support roles planned for the JSF."[58]
"The IAF would be happy to equip itself with 24 F-22s, but the
problem at this time is the U.S. refusal to sell the aircraft, and its
$200 million price tag."
Israeli Air Force (IAF) chief procurement officer Brigadier-General Ze'ev Snir.[59]
The 2010 defense authorization bill included provisions that required the DoD to prepare a report on the costs and feasibility for an F-22 export variant and another report on the impact of F-22 export sales on the U.S. aerospace industry.[64][65]
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