F-22 Raptor Thread

[Air Force Brat]

Arguably the coolest looking fighter jet ever built. I especially love the direct front view of this beauty.

I asked Dan what he thought of the F-35, he said "well its squat and ugly, but the F-22 is kinda ugly compared to the F-15"?? so there you have AFB IV's tastes are like his big brother's? said stealth is just kinda homely compared to the older prettier jets. They flew the F-22, which he stated is amazing, and it is, wish we could have all been there together, the A-4, the F-4, the F-100, he would have been about 5 when we saw the Blues fly the F-4s at Little Rock? I was 14, or 15, I remember those crew chiefs shining on those chicks all afternoon before they flew, Go Navy, I don't remember if Fat Albert flew? I do remember a C-130E LAPES extraction, and a USAF C-130 RATO departure, of course LRAFB was and is the C-130 schoolhouse, we lived in Tennessee when Sewart AFB was the schoolhouse for the 130?

So T-50 is a very pretty airplane, ditto for the F-22 and YF-23, and J-20, then F-35, why I have dubbed her ThunderHogge II. LOL

 

[Jeff Head]

You know, with all the fanfaire and hooplas with F-35, it got me thinking....

I think DoD and Lockheed need to examine an upgraded version of Raptor.

Call it.... Super Raptor ......very much like the Hornet to Super Hornet. It will be built on a proven platform....

The F-22 is going to be the US high solution and it will be in place for decades to come. it will be improved over the years just as the US has done with all of its front line aircraft.

The US F-35 variants are going to be the very numerous low solution, but a very, very good one at that. It too will be in place for decades.

But, to your point, IMHO, the US has already embarked on the Super Raptor...but it will not be based on the Raptor.

It is the 6th generation development which is starting now and will produce an aircraft a good 15 years from now...just when it is needed.

 

[Jeff Head]

I'll say bring back the YF-23 program and turn it into a 6th gen fighter.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

is continued thought of bringing back the YF-23 design form...but in a dedicated, long range strike fighter as you say.

.

I'd love to see it...but with the F-22 and F-35 mix, along with the Super Hornets and the potential for them to take on the Advanced Super Hornet config...I just do not see it happening.

No...at this point, outside of the LRS-B, I now believe that the next big project will be the 6th gen aircraft.

Until then...the F-22s, the F-35s, and the Super Hornets are going to probably suffice.

 

[Blitzo]

You know, with all the fanfaire and hooplas with F-35, it got me thinking....

I think DoD and Lockheed need to examine an upgraded version of Raptor.

They ended up capping F-22's production run for a reason. Unless USAF cancels a big programme like F-35A or LRS-B, or somehow get a massive increase in budget, restarting F-22 production -- let alone developing a whole new F-22 variant and especially a substantially redesigned F-22 with different structure -- just isn't going to happen.

Now, introducing some new subsystems to existing F-22 airframes is more plausible. An HMD, cockpit improvements, maybe even an EOIRST eventually, are probably on the cards in the future.

The way you've structured your suggestion makes it seem like you believe that there's actually money lying around to easily develop a "Super Raptor," when in reality money is tight, and developing a structurally larger and heavier F-22 with new engines, new subsystems, would likely be a costly task if not also a technically challenging one at that.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

is continued thought of bringing back the YF-23 design form...but in a dedicated, long range strike fighter as you say.

.

I don't think those suggestions of a FB-32 have been under any serious consideration for within the last decade or so, as nice of an aircraft as it would be.

 

[FORBIN]

YF-23 get the better rear RCS but carried only 5 AAM, F-22, 6 originaly after with new AIM-120 "compressed" 8 with it YF-23 could have had 7 maybe ?

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

Forbin is right that sleak profile came at a cost. Of course F35 also pays that piper having a smaller internal load then Raptor.
Personally I think this is a fixable to a degree with missiles like the Cuda.
As to Super Raptor, ten years from now I figure the USAF will be putting parts of F35 and the sixth Gen program tech into all F22, soon after I bet F35 will also start its upgrade program. This would be followed in quickly by the USAF and USN 6th generation.
These 6th Gen will have similarities to those that came before but will not be rehash of any previous design.

 

[FORBIN]

 

[Ultra]

Forbin is right that sleak profile came at a cost. Of course F35 also pays that piper having a smaller internal load then Raptor.
Personally I think this is a fixable to a degree with missiles like the Cuda.
As to Super Raptor, ten years from now I figure the USAF will be putting parts of F35 and the sixth Gen program tech into all F22, soon after I bet F35 will also start its upgrade program. This would be followed in quickly by the USAF and USN 6th generation.
These 6th Gen will have similarities to those that came before but will not be rehash of any previous design.

That would entirely depends on the future outlook of US military budget - if US economy or budget constraint continue to face increasing woes, and developing next generation (6th generation) fighter could be way too costly and uncertain as every new generation the cost increase many folds; it is highly likely they could rehash the old design, with incremental improvements.

Hence my original proposal of "Super Raptor" (or how I would like ot call it - "King Raptor"! heh heh heh... gamers know what I am talking about..)

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

Even with the worst of the recent past the US economy has remained more or less stable, yes it went up and down but the fluctuations were hardly damning.the cancellation of F22 production was more political, with the arguments that Raptor and other programs were relics of the cold war.
Already sixth generation development under way. So its more a matter of its follow through. But because so Few Raptor were built and because by the time in question needs and performance technologies have changed, I doubt that new production would be a real option. I don't think that the USAF will toss raptor to the bone yards the second FXX comes on line but I think there will be a decade or more of strong overlap between F22 upgraded, F35 D/E/F updates and 6th Gen.

 

[Scratch]

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

is continued thought of bringing back the YF-23 design form...but in a dedicated, long range strike fighter as you say.

This is concurrent to what the FB-22 was supposed to be, right? With the eventual retirement of the FB-111 Advaark the intermediate-sized fighter-bomber category kind of got lost for the USAF. And this seems to be what the "YFB-23" was aiming for?
The Strike Eagle has taken up a large part of that. And will continue to do so at least into the 2030s I guess. At some point they will go, I do not really see the F-22 or F-35 being capable to take up that . And with no Advaark / Strike Eagle replacement in sight, that role might fall, in part, to the LRS-B as well. Wich may bring up the numbers question again.

... forget the pilot-less, tail-less KRAP. Start developing another real airplane NOW, forget the 12 layers of complexity and nebulous bull research that will cost billions of dollars, my own recommendation is that we simplify the Raptor, forget the OVT, and keep the electronics functional, but simple

Just recently I stumbled across the X-44 MANTA programm which was a concept off a Raptor tyring a tailless, pure 3D vectoring design. The program ended 15 years ago. Maybe something to go back to? Some of the F/A-XX concepts look not so diferent.