The F-22 program is developing the next-generation air superiority fighter for the United States Air Force to counter emerging worldwide threats. The F-22 Raptor is designed to ensure that America’s armed forces retain air dominance. This means complete control of the airspace over an area of conflict, thereby allowing freedom to attack and freedom from attack at all times and places for the full spectrum of military operations. Air dominance provides the ability to defend our forces from enemy attack and to attack adversary forces without hindrance from enemy aircraft.
During the initial phases of deployment into an area of conflict, the first aircraft to arrive are the most vulnerable because they face the entire warfighting capability of an adversary. The F-22’s state-of-the-art technology, advanced tactics, and skilled aircrew will ensure air dominance from the outset of such situations. It is designed to penetrate enemy airspace and achieve a first-look, first-kill capability against multiple targets. The F-22 is characterized by a low-observable, highly maneuverable airframe; advanced integrated avionics; and aerodynamic performance allowing supersonic cruise without afterburner.
The F-22 is an air dominance fighter with much-improved capability over current Air Force aircraft. It is widely regarded as the most advanced fighter in the world, combining a revolutionary leap in technology and capability with reduced support requirements and maintenance costs. It will replace the F-15 as America's front-line, air superiority fighter, with deliveries to operational units in 2005.
From the inception of the battle, the F-22's primary objective will be to establish absolute control of the skies through the conduct of counterair operations. The fighter also has an inherent precision ground attack capability. The F-22 is capable of carrying existing and planned medium and short range air-to-air missiles in internal bays. The F-22 will also have an internal 20-mm cannon and provisions for carrying precision ground attack weapons.
The F-22 Raptor is being developed to counter lethal threats posed by advanced surface-to-air missile systems and next generation fighters equipped with launch-and-leave missiles. The Air Force faces two challenges to providing air dominance with its current fleet of fighter aircraft. First, other nations continuously improve their aerial warfare capability by fielding newer, faster, more maneuverable aircraft, such as the MiG-29, Su-35, Rafale, Gripen, and Eurofighter. Second, potential adversaries have added sophisticated air defenses built around surface-to-air missiles that can target conventional aircraft more accurately and at greater distances than in the past. The F-22 has the stealth, speed, and maneuverability to overcome these challenges and ensure air dominance over any battlefield.
The F-22's combination of stealth, integrated avionics, maneuverability and supercruise will give Raptor pilots a first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability against the aircraft of any potential enemy. The F-22 is designed to provide not just air superiority, but air dominance, winning quickly and decisively with few US casualties. The Raptor also has an inherent air-to-ground capability.
The F-22 will provide a first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability through the use of reduced observables and advanced sensors. To decrease the reaction time of enemy threats, increased supersonic cruise, and maneuverability goals have been set. The F-22's avionics suite is a highly integrated system maximizing performance to allow the pilot to concentrate on the mission, rather than on managing the sensors as in current fighters. To improve operations from battle-damaged runways, the F-22 offers significantly reduced takeoff and landing distances, as compared to today's frontline fighters. A greatly increased combat radius, using internal fuel only, will give F-22 pilots the capability to engage the enemy over his territory and support long-range air-to-ground assets such as the F-15E. The F-22 will also bring a precision ground attack capability to the battlefield. In addition to greater lethality and survivability, the F-22 design calls for higher reliability, maintainability, and sortie generation rates than the aircraft it will replace. The design goal for all areas is a 100 percent improvement over the F-15 weapon system.
The F-22 is 62 feet, 1 inch long, it has a wingspan of 44 feet 6 inches, and stands 16 feet, 5 inches tall. The F-22A is a single seat aircraft.
"Agility" is the ability of the F-22 pilot to point and shoot with his aircraft, pirouetting, and facing the enemy with his weapons at all speeds. The F-22 pilot can maintain control of the aircraft at speeds as low as that of a Piper Cub or at very high supersonic speeds. Because of the F-22's sophisticated aero-design and high thrust-to-weight ratio, it can easily outmaneuver all current and projected threat aircraft, both at medium and high altitudes.
"Supercruise" is the term given to the capability of sustaining supersonic speeds for long periods of time. Conventional fighters, while capable of supersonic flight, can only sustain these speeds for relatively short periods as the result of excessively high fuel consumption using afterburner. The F-22's engines produce more thrust than any current fighter engine, especially in military (non-afterburner) power. Called "supercruise," this characteristic allows the F-22 to efficiently cruise at supersonic airspeeds without using afterburners. The F-22's engine is expected to be the first to provide the ability to fly faster than the speed of sound for an extended period of time without the high fuel consumption characteristic of aircraft that use afterburners to achieve supersonic speeds. It is expected to provide high performance and high fuel efficiency at slower speeds as well. This capability greatly expands the F-22's operating envelope in both speed and range over current fighters that must use afterburner to operate at supersonic speeds. The F-22 can cruise supersonically without afterburner and, therefore, can sustain these speeds for long periods. The enemy must react to any intruder and that reaction time to detect, aim weapons and launch, is severely reduced when the intruder is moving fast. At supercruise speeds, the F-22 (and its pilot) becomes less vulnerable to enemy missiles and aircraft simply because they cannot react fast enough.
The industry team of Lockheed Martin and Boeing is working with the U. S. Air Force and Pratt & Whitney to develop the F-22 to replace the F-15 as America's front line air dominance fighter. The Critical Design Review (CDR) of the F-22 and the Initial Production Readiness Review (IPRR) of the F119 engine were completed in February 1995. The Air Force confirmed that the program was ready to proceed to fabrication and assembly of EMD aircraft. First flight of an EMD aircraft took place in September 1997. Low-rate initial production began in 1999. The Air Force plans to procure 339 production F-22s, and production is scheduled to run through 2013.
Prior to its selection as winner of what was then known as the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition, the F-22 team conducted a 54-month demonstration/validation (dem/val) program. The effort involved the design, construction, and flight testing of two YF-22 prototype aircraft. The dem/val phase of the program was completed in December 1990. Two prototype engine designs, the Pratt & Whitney YF119-PW-100 and the General Electric YF120-GE-100, also were developed and tested during the program. The Pratt & Whitney F119 was selected by the Air Force to power the F-22. Much of the dem/val work was performed at Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) in Burbank, Calif.; at General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems) in Fort Worth, Texas, at Boeing in Seattle, Wash. The prototypes were assembled in Lockheed's Palmdale, CA, facility and made their maiden flight from there. Since that time, Lockheed Martin's program management and aircraft assembly operations have moved to Marietta, GA., for the EMD and production phases.
The fast, agile, and stealthy F-22 began to take over the air dominance role first with Air Combat Command. Once testing and evaluations were successfully completed on the F/A-22 Raptor, it made its debut into the Air Force arsenal in 2005 as a replacement for the F-15 Eagle. The F/A-22's operational utility was tested and evaluated at Air Combat Command's 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The Block 10 Initial Operational Capability configuration, to be fielded this year, will be multirole, with the option of four AMRAAMs being replaced by GBU-32 JDAMs. This provides an analogous deep-strike capability to the F-117A, but is more survivable. The Block 20 configuration is the baseline for the Global Strike Task Force (GSTF) fleet, and will include JSF common radar modules, a dedicated high-speed radar processor, and COTS technology CIP processors. The GBU-39/40 Small Diameter Bomb is introduced in the Block 20 aircraft by 2007, together with high resolution SAR radar modes, improved radar ECCM, two way voice and data MIDS/Link-16 capability, improved crew station software, and improved electronic countermeasures. The Block 30 configuration, planned for 2008-2011, extends the growth seen in the Block 20. Side-looking radar arrays provide a significant ISR capability in the aircraft along with enhancements to provide full Wild Weasel air defence suppression and time-critical target engagement capabilities. A Satcom terminal will provide continuous network connectivity during deep-strike profiles. The post-2011 Block 40 aircraft is intended to be the definitive Global Strike configuration, with incremental enhancements to Block 30 additions providing full sensor networking, range enhancements, integrated ISR capabilities, and a Helmet Mounted Display similar to the JSF. Longer term planning for a Block 50 envisages an Electronic Attack variant, replacing the lost EF-111A Raven. A stealthy stores pod for JDAM and SDB is under development to enable carriage on external pylons. As a strike aircraft the F/A-22A will have similar internal payloads to the JSF, but will be vastly more survivable due to better stealth.
On Sept. 17, 2002 Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper announced a change in the designation of the F-22 Raptor to F/A-22 at the 2002 Air Force Association National Convention. The change is meant to more accurately reflect the aircraft's multimission roles and capabilities in contemporary strategic environments. However, the designation reverted to F-22 in December 2005.
The F-22's primary weapon is the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). This missile is a replacement for the AIM-7 Sparrow, which was developed in the 1950s, and was still in front-line service into the early 1990s. The AIM-120 was developed to provide an all-weather, all-launch environment capability for the F-22, as well as the Air Force's in-service F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the Navy's F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet.
The AIM-120 (which has no official nickname, but is called "Slammer" by pilots) is carried internally in the F-22's main weapons bay that is located on the underside of the fighter tucked under the inlets. The main bay is covered by two thermoset composite bifold doors that open outward. When the F-22 is in first-day-of-a-war combat configuration, all missiles are carried in the main weapons bay only. The typical combat load is six AIM-120C. Three in each side of the main weapons bay with the center missile staggered ahead of the inboard and outboard missiles. The F-22 can carry four of the older, longer-finned AIM-120A if necessary.
Each missile is carried on an EDO Corp.-built LAU-142/A pneudraulic (pneumatic and hydraulic) launcher, called an AMRAAM Vertical Eject Launcher (AVEL). The AVEL is substantial (nearly 113 pounds each) in order to minimize missile movement in the weapons bay. The AVEL, which is made mostly of aluminum, has a nine-inch stroke, and ejects the missile out of the bay at more than 25 feet per second with a force of 40 G (40 times the force of gravity) at peak acceleration. Unlike conventional missile launchers on other aircraft, the AVEL requires no pyrotechnics, and it requires less logistics support than other launchers.
The missiles are loaded from the opposite side of the aircraft AIM-120 Loading in Main Weapons Bay (missiles in the left side of the weapons bay are loaded from the right and visa versa), in order to clear the open main weapons bay doors. The current MJ-1 load vehicle (called a jammer) is used to load the missiles into the F-22. The missiles are staggered in the bay so fins on adjacent missiles do not interfere with each other when they are launched.
The missile gets target information from the aircraft prior to launch via a Military Standard (Mil Std) 1760 data bus. Once launched, the missile can operate independent of the launch aircraft, as it has its own inertial guidance system and an active radar, allowing the F-22 pilot to launch the missile and leave the area, thus avoiding a close-in dogfight. However, if necessary, the missile can also receive mid-course target updates from the launch aircraft. The entire launch sequence (door opening, AVEL ejecting the missile, missile ignition and flyout, door closing) takes just seconds. The combination of the aircraft's stealth characteristics, its integrated avionics, and the AIM-120 missile gives the F-22 a "first-look, first-shot, first-kill" capability.
AIM-9M Sidewinder
The F-22's short-range missile armament is the AIM-9M Sidewinder. This missile has been continuously updated since its forerunner (then designated N-7) destroyed a radio-controlled drone in a test at China Lake, Calif., in September 1953. Developed essentially from spare parts by the Naval Ordnance Test Center, Sidewinder entered service with the Air Force in 1956. Today, the AIM-9 is used on nearly every U. S. Air Force and Navy fighter (including F-15, F-16, A-10, F-14, and F/A-18) and those of many allied nations. It can even be fired from several types of military helicopters. Well over 150,000 Sidewinders have been built.
The AIM-9M is currently the only operational Air Force variant. This model has all-aspect (any direction) intercept capability. It also has improved defenses against infrared countermeasures, enhanced background discrimination capability, and a reduced-smoke rocket motor. These upgrades increase the missile's ability to locate and lock-on a target and decrease the missile's chances for detection. Deliveries to the Air Force began in 1983. A new variant, AIM-9X, is now in development. This missile will retain many of the Sidewinder's capabilities while strengthening the design with airframe improvements and advanced seeker technology, including staring focal plane arrays, adaptive compensation techniques, and infrared signals processing.
On the F-22, one AIM-9 is carried in each of the aircraft's side weapons bays, which are located on the outside of the engine inlets. There are no plans to carry the AIM-9 in the F-22's main weapons bay. The side bays are each covered by two thermoset composite doors that run the length of the compartment and are hinged at the top and bottom of the bay. Although AIM-9X is slightly longer than the AIM-9M, it will still fit in the F-22 without modification to the side weapons bays.
The missiles are carried on a Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems-built LAU-141/A hydraulic launcher, called a Trapeze Launcher. This launcher, which uses some components from the existing LAU-128/A launcher, is basically the wingtip launch rail from an F-16 with a swing out mechanism that extends rapidly. The LAU-141/A is also fitted with a missile motor plume deflector, which prevents damage to the side weapons bay as the missile launches off the rail. Each missile is loaded by opening the doors, extending the rail, sliding it on the rail, retracting the missile, and closing the doors. Nearly all Sidewinders are loaded manually, using a three-person load crew. AIM-9 loading for F-22 will be no different.
As the AIM-9 uses infrared guidance, the missile first has to acquire the target. To launch a Sidewinder from the F-22, the side weapons bay doors open; the Trapeze Launcher, with missile attached, extends to put the missile's seeker into the slipstream; the seeker acquires the target; the missile ignites and flies off the rail. The Trapeze Launcher then retracts, and the weapons bay doors close. Once launched, the F-22 pilot can leave the fight, as Sidewinder is autonomous, following its seeker to the target, after it leaves the launch rail. The entire Sidewinder launch sequence, from door opening to door closing, takes just seconds.
GBU-32 JDAM Joint Direct Attack Munition
JDAM is a tail guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into near precision-guided "smart" munitions. It also includes strap-on strakes that attach to the bomb's body for stability. Adding a new tail section containing an Inertial Navigation System (INS)/Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance control unit to existing inventories of Mk. 83 1,000-pound-class general purpose conventional bombs gives the F-22 a highly accurate, autonomous, high altitude all-weather conventional bombing capability. Currently, the JDAM tail guidance kit gives existing "iron bombs" a circular error probable (CEP, the measure of weapons accuracy) of under 15 meters, but a planned improvement program will give the weapon a CEP of considerably less than 10 meters. JDAM is intended for use on a variety of Air Force and Navy aircraft including B-1, B-2. B-52, F-15E, F-16, F-117, and F/A-18.
The F-22 can carry the 1,000-pound class JDAM weapon. For the F-22, the JDAM tail guidance kit fits on the Mk. 83 1,000-pound-class conventional bomb. Weight of the Mk. 83 bomb and tail guidance kit is approximately 1,015 pounds The combination of the stealthy F-22 and the precision capability of the GBU-32 allows the F-22 pilot to drop the weapon from altitudes of approximately 40,000 feet to a range of approximately 15 miles.
The GBU-32 is only carried in the F-22's main weapons bay. A typical combat load consists of two GBU-32. One GBU-32 is carried inboard in each side of the main weapons bay. When loaded with GBU-32, there is still sufficient room in the F-22's main weapons bay to carry two AIM-120C air-to-air missiles (one in each side of the bay, in addition to the two AIM-9 Sidewinders in the side weapons bays), which means that even on a mission to attack ground targets, the F-22 retains significant air-to-air combat capability.
Each 1,000-pound-class GBU-32 will be loaded from the opposite side of the F-22 (the JDAM in the left side of the weapons bay is loaded from the right and visa versa), in order to clear the open main weapons bay doors. The current MJ-1 load vehicle (called a jammer) is used to load the GBU-32 into the F-22. The GBU-32 is carried on the Air Force's standard BRU-46/A bomb rack (which is built by EDO). The weapon is carried on the inboard side of the bay with an adjacent AIM-120C missile staggered on the outboard side. This is so tail fins on the bomb and the missile's wings do not interfere with each other when the weapons are either released or launched.
The GBU-32 gets target information from the aircraft prior to release via a Miltary Standard (Mil Std) 1760 data bus. JDAM can be dropped by an aircraft from up to 15 miles from the target. In addition to its own inertial guidance system, the weapon receives in-flight position updates from the 24-satellite GPS satellite constellation which help guide the bomb to the target. The GPS constellation provides 24-hour navigation information to military and civilian users. The GBU-32's autonomous operation allows the carrying aircraft to release the weapon and leave the area, thus avoiding an enemy's integrated air defense (surface-to-air missiles, antiaircraft artillery ("triple A"), and radars) system, but still delivering the weapon to the target.
GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb
The F-22A has the capability to carry a variety of conventional and Long Range Stand-Off Weapons (LRSOW) for air-to-ground ordnance delivery. When performing air-to-ground missions, the F-22A can internally carry two Global Positioning System-aided 250-pound GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb in place of two AIM-120s and two AIM-9 missiles. The Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) (Guided Bomb Unit [GBU]-39/B) is designed to provide the F-22A with multiple targeting capabilities. Langley munitions crews loaded the new GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb onto an operational F-22A Raptor 15 July 2006. The fit test, conducted by members of the 27th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and observed by experts from Lockheed, Boeing, Edwards AFB, Calif., and Eglin AFB, Fla., was the first time the new weapon had been loaded into a combat-ready Raptor.
Weighing in at 250 pounds and a diameter of only six inches, the advantage of the GBU-39 is the amount that can be loaded into an F-22. It increases the target capabilities of the F-22 by 400 percent. Instead of two JDAMs, it will carry eight SDBs internally.
The Air Combat Command commander declared initial operational capability for the Guided Bomb Unit-39/B Small Diameter Bomb 02 October 2006 and the weapon made its combat debut just three days later. Boeing, the GBU-39B manufacturer, describes the bomb as "the next generation of low-cost and low-collateral damage precision strike weapons for ... employment from fighters, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles." The F-15E Strike Eagle was initially the only aircraft equipped to carry the SDB. However, future potential platforms include the F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. The SDB have high precision capabilities. They are lightweight and small which means increased aircraft payload. The bomb, a mere 250 pounds, has a smaller lethality radius, but its advanced technology makes the small blast a benefit, not a liability.
Its small size enables aircraft to carry more weapons, allowing commanders "to service more targets on a single pass." Its mounting carriage, the BRU-61/A, fits four bombs on one weapon pylon. It is also a versatile weapon. The SDB range is more than 50 nautical miles when launched at 40,000 feet at Mach .95. This enables an aircraft to launch SDBs to multiple targets, while beyond the range of many anti-aircraft systems. Additionally, it is an all-weather weapon, effective day or night and can be fired at targets in front of, to the sides, and behind the employing aircraft. It is effective on stationary targets within 1.2 meters. Typical targets include hardened aircraft bunkers, early-warning radar, stationary SCUD missile launchers, stationary artillery and more,
M61A2 20-mm Cannon
The F-22's close-range weapon is the M61A2 20mm cannon and its associated components. The M61 is a proven gun, having been the U. S. military's close-in weapon of choice dating back to the 1950s. The F-104, F-105, later models of the F-106, F-111, F-4, B-58, all used the M61, as does the Air Force's current F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the Navy's F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet. The system is integrally mounted in the aircraft and located on the right side of the aircraft between the wing (top side) and fuselage. It is a fixed-forward firing mount. A gun door, located in the wing root area, is hydraulically controlled to open when firing the gun, which allows the rounds and blast pressure to clear the muzzle. A 480-round closed loop ammunition feed and storage subsystem is housed integrally under the right wing root/fuselage for easy ammo upload and download of empty casings. The gun system consists of the M61A2 gun, the Linear Linkless Ammunition Handling System (LLAHS), the hydraulic drive system, and the gun door/gun port and gas purge system.
The M61A2 is a lightweight version of the M61A1. Most of the weight savings was achieved by machining down the barrel thickness. The M61A2 is Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), that is, purchased by the government under separate contract and provided to the F-22 contractor team. Power to operate the gun is provided by hydraulic pressure supplied by the aircraft's hydraulic system. Each of the gun's six barrels fires only once during each revolution of the barrel cluster. The six rotating barrels contribute to long weapon life by minimizing barrel erosion and heat generation. The gun's rate of fire, essentially 100 rounds per second, gives the pilot a shot density that will enable a "kill". With 480 rounds, the pilot has roughly five shots with the gun.
The inherent capabilities of the F-22 (stealth, advanced avionics, supercruise) and advanced air-to-air missiles such as AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder, will likely render use of the gun unnecessary in combat. However, as history has demonstrated (most glaringly with the F-4 in Vietnam), at some point, the air battle comes down to a dogfight, and the M61A2, along with the F-22's superior maneuverability, gives the pilot one more option.
The General Dynamics Armament System-developed Linear Linkless Ammunition Handling System (LLAHS) consists of a 480 round ammunition storage container with drive train and integral access (reload) unit, an ammunition conveyor assembly, a hydraulic drive unit, a rounds limiter, and a last round switch. There are no links between rounds (hence the term "linkless") an innovation that eliminates completely any potential jamming of the gun breech. Ammunition is transported from the container to the gun breech by a direct extension of the carrier chain, which also carries the empty cartridges back to the ammunition storage container to form a closed loop system. The LLAHS is loaded manually from the ground. The rounds limiter is an electromechanical device that is preset to limit the number of rounds that can be fired on a training flight. The last round switch shuts down the gun when it senses the empty casing of the first round fired. The LLAHS is located very near to the aircraft's center of gravity, so by retaining the casings, even after all the rounds are fired, there is no change forward or aft to the aircraft's center of gravity. Also, by not ejecting the casings, a potentially serious foreign object debris (FOD) problem (i.e. ingesting casings into the engines) simply does not exist.
The gun hydraulic drive unit is a 42 horsepower fixed displacement motor sized to achieve a 6,000 round per minute gun firing rate at all flight loading conditions. The gun port door is mechanized such that is opened to provide an exit path out of the aircraft for the projectiles. It is activated when the pilot squeezes the trigger on the control stick (the first detent) in the cockpit. The door opens to 90 degrees and is activated in milliseconds. When the trigger is released by the pilot (or the last round switch engaged), the door is commanded to close. It takes several seconds for the door to close completely. The door is an aid to the F-22's stealth characteristics, and it helps the aircraft's aerodynamics by reducing drag. The gun port is a steel casting that is located under the port door. It is used to protect the aircraft and its structure from gun muzzle blast by deflecting projectiles up and away from the aircraft surface. If a misfire occurs in the one-half portion of the gun port, it is designed to capture the projectile.
The gun gas purge system consists of an actuated purge door that opens at the same time as the gun port door. The purge door, located on the fuselage side near the gun breech, forces outside air (ram air) into the aircraft when opened and a static screened vent (on the top of the fuselage) allows gun gas (which is mostly hydrogen, and as such, explosive) and ram air to exit overboard. When the trigger is released by the pilot (or the last round switch is engaged), the door is commanded to close M61A2 20-mm Gun System for F-22.
F-22 Carriage Capability
The F-22's combat configuration is "clean", that is, with all armament carried internally and with no external stores. This is an important factor in the F-22's stealth characteristics, and it improves the fighter's aerodynamics by dramatically reducing drag, which, in turn, improves the F-22's range. The F-22 has four under wing hardpoints, each capable of carrying 5,000 pounds. A single pylon design, which features forward and aft sway braces, an aft pivot, electrical connections, and fuel and air connections, is used. Either a 600-gallon fuel tank or two LAU-128/A missile launchers can be attached to the bottom of the pylon, depending on the mission.
There are two basic external configurations for the F-22: Four 600 gallon fuel tanks, no external weapons: This configuration is used when the aircraft is being ferried and extra range is needed. A BRU-47/A rack is used on each pylon to hold the external tanks. Two 600 gallon fuel tanks, four missiles: This configuration is used after air dominance in a battle area has been secured, and extra loiter time and firepower is required for Combat Air Patrol (CAP). The external fuel tanks, held by a BRU-47/A rack are carried on the inboard stations, while a pylon fitted with two LAU-128/A rail launchers is fitted to each of the outboard stations. An all-missile external loadout (two missiles on each of the stations) is possible and would not be difficult technically to integrate, but the Air Force has not stated a requirement for this configuration.
The LAU-128/A rail launcher is the standard rail launcher used today on the F-15 and can carry either of the missiles used on the F-22, AIM-120 AMRAAM or AIM-9 Sidewinder. However, both missiles carried on the fire missile adapter configuration for F-22 must be the same type for aircraft weight and balance considerations. The 600-gallon fuel tanks are similar to the same external tanks that are used on the current F-15 Eagle. However, a new tank is being developed that has baffles in it to prevent the fuel from sloshing. This gives the tank better center of gravity control, which allows for safe jettisoning of the tanks. The BRU-47/A rack is not the same type of rack that is used internally on the F-22 to carry the GBU-32 1,000-pound class Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), although they are similar and both are currently in use. However, there are no plans to carry JDAM externally on F-22. The BRU-47 will only be used to hold the external fuel tanks.
The pylon itself is designed for minimal impact on aircraft performance. If it becomes necessary for the pilot to jettison the external stores, the entire pylon is jettisoned along with the tank or missile launch rails. The pylon has an aft pivot, so when the stores are jettisoned, the forward attach point is released first, the pylon rotates on the pivot, and then the aft pivot is released. This motion allows the pylon, along with the tank or launch rail to clear the aircraft when it is released into the slipstream.
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