The F-22 Raptor's Powerful Upgrades Paving the Way for NGAD

imagine a fighter that combines the agility of a falcon with the lethal Precision of an eagle a Marvel of Aeronautical Engineering that blurs the line between reality and science fiction a jet that's like the SR71 blackbird's younger more agile little brother they never told you about welcome to the world of the F22 Raptor the epitome of stealth speed and air dominance this is isn't just a story of any fighter it's a tale of innovation a blend of cuttingedge technology and unparalleled performance that has redefined modern air combat built to outclass any adversary in the sky the Raptor was so Advanced that it faced a different kind of threat budget cuts and changing priorities but here's the twist just when it seemed like the Raptor might be grounded for good it's getting a new lease on life with some game-changing upgrades and just like most of us retirement isn't possible right now not in this economy and this world State of Affairs today we're diving into the secrets of this iconic aircraft the world's first fifth generation fighter from its groundbreaking design to its evolving role in an era of great power competition the F-22 Raptor story is more than just titanium and composits so fasten your seat belts hit that subscribe button and join me on a supersonic journey to to uncover why the Raptor is the Undisputed King of the Skies why its best days May yep be ahead and how it's Paving the way for the future of air dominance pilot fog.com the F22 is an enigma born at the end of one era and destined for greatness in another conceived during the Cold War to counter Advanced Soviet Fighters that never materialized the Raptor found itself without a worthy adversary for much of its early life but make no mistake this jet was built different the Raptor famously won a competition against the Y of 23 Black Widow in the early 99s and went on to become the world's first and many say still the best fifth generation fighter but it was a victim of very bad timing you see the Air Force wanted over 700 Raptors with the idea that they would replace the legendary F-15 Eagle in the air superiority role more on the eagle later in the end the Air Force got less than 200 Raptors and only has about 150 combat ready f-22s today so how do we get here well by the time the Raptor was ready for the spotlight the Soviet Union had collapsed 9/11 happened and the US found itself in a two decade plus war on terror fighting an enemy that did not have a traditional Army let alone an Air Force this is not what the Raptor was designed for it's kind of like having a bazooka to take out a mosquito instead the Raptor was designed to fight in Europe against the Soviet Union during the Cold War so you had a jet that was Far and Away Superior to any fighter in the sky without a direct adversary to fight at the time at the time the Raptor seemed like an expensive solution in search of a problem on top of that the other issue the Raptor had was was its endurance or legs since the designers envisioned the Raptor fighting in Europe long range was not seen as a priority NATO's Western Europe is filled with many airfields and the distance to the Iron Curtain was relatively small as a result the f-22's designers made stealth their highest priority followed closely by super cruising and maneuverability which is why the Raptor has thrust vectoring engines that allow it to perform Maneuvers that could be useful in combat super cruising allowed the 22 to fly supersonic without afterburner which very few aircraft can do even today every design is a compromise so in the end the f-22's range was not a priority in fact to get all of that speed out of the engines the Raptor is sort of a gas guzzler because its engines are so powerful case in point operating at dry thrust or military power each engine unleashes a formidable 26,000 lb of force to put this into perspective that's even more thrust than what each engine of the F-15 Eagle can muster even when it's pushed to the limits with full After Burner when the Raptor does fire up its afterburners the display is nothing short of spectacular and if the thought of surpassing the F-15 full After Burner capacity and dry thrust impresses you imagine this in After Burner mode the Raptor's output not only exceeds that but also surpasses the maximum afterburner thrust of the legendary SR71 this of course comes at a price the Thirsty Raptor just on internal fuel has a range of just under 500 mil which again is fine if you're fighting a war in Europe but not so great if you're in a conflict in the Pacific where distances are measured in thousands of miles and where a high-end conflict is likely to take place today because of this many felt that the Raptor story was over yet as new threats have emerged and great power competitions have intensified the Air Force recognized its need to keep its Premier air superiority fighter on The Cutting Edge enter the F-22 upgrade program a multi-billion doll effort to extend the Raptor's Reign well into the 21st century the Air Force really is putting its money where its mouth is by investing heavily into these upgrades for the F-22 to the tune of over $80 million per jet that's a serious pile of money and is about the cost of a brand new f 35 lightning now with these upgrades the first order of business is to give the Raptor more range the quickest way to do this is with external fuel tanks which is what essentially all the fourth generation Fighters do however fourth gen doesn't care about or can't be stealthy this is not true for the Raptor so it needs to find a way to extend its range while maintaining its stealth now we've already seen Raptors with external fuel tanks but these were conventional tanks that were never intended to hide an aircraft's radar signature the new tanks that we've seen in renders from the Air Force and in my 3D concept model here appear to be more streamlined and likely have applied radar absorbing materials or Ram Coatings to them to help out with the self profile of the jet the same thing is likely true about the external pylons that the tanks Mount to my guess is that the tanks and pylons will be able to be jettisoned so that the Raptor goes back to its clean and more stealthy configuration but that's just the beginning we've also seen the upgraded Raptor concept with outboard pylons these appear to be sensor pods most likely infrared search and track or irst pods irst systems can track aircraft by looking for their heat signature which is becoming a more important aspect of stealth there is speculation that the endide fighter will prioritize thermal stealth or even cloaking I've done a video all about this you can check out that video after this one Link in the description or scan the QR code on your screen getting back to why irst sensors are important current stealth aircraft are designed to absorb or reflect radar waves making them harder to detect however all aircraft emit heat especially when flying at high speeds or using afterburners so infrared sensors and tracking has seen sort of a renissance lately the Raptor's dual sensor pods could be some kind of stereoscopic thermal tracking meaning that the sensors compare each other's readings to paint a picture of the object they are tracking that's just my guess for now as we learn more I'll definitely make an updated video now one of the drawbacks to stealth Fighters is that they must carry all of their weapons inside their airframes to maintain stealth you can only fit so many missiles or bombs inside the airplane which becomes a limiting factor aside from the external fuel tanks these pylons could be used to mount stealth weapons pods similar to what we have seen on the Block 3 Super Hornet these weapons pods could give the Raptor double its weapons capacity greatly increasing its Effectiveness but perhaps the most exciting aspect of the F-22 upgrade program is what it means for the future despite only having around 150 combat ready Raptors today these upgrades will also be used as a test bed for its eventual replacement the Next Generation air dominance or andad fighter while there are rumors that a prototype of the super secret andad fighter has already been flying for quite a while it's still very much in development and while you can test certain things in a simulator or even in a lab there's nothing quite like actual flying for this reason the active duty fifth generation raptor is an excellent test bed and can itself benefit from the lessons learned from these tests we've already seen f-22s with chrome or mirrorlike Coatings flying around and yes I've done a video on that as well these Coatings are likely some sort of new radar and thermal absorbent material and remember it's looking more and more like the next step in stealth evolution is going to be thermal cloaking additionally part of these upgrades likely include avionic systems that are being tested which will not be observable to us in the civilian world but you can rest assured that the Raptor is going to be testing them in every possible configuration and speaking of electronic systems another key aspect of the Ed program will be drones that fly and fight alongside the man fighter this is also something that is likely being tested not just with the Raptor but also the F35 lightning as to when we will see these upgraded ultimate Raptors as of right now it looks like it will be sometime in 2026 the end could be operational by 2030 although it will take time for it to be produced in serious numbers in the meantime the Raptor will be the one to establish and maintain air superiority until it passes the torch as we look to the Future one thing is clear the F-22 Raptor is more than just a fighter jet it's a symbol of American innovation a testament to the skill and dedication of the men and women who build and fly it and a reminder of the enduring importance of air power in the 21st century so the next time you see a raptor streaking across the sky remember you're witnessing history in the making the F22 Raptor the king of the Skies now and for years to come but wait there's more if you're like me the moment someone even Whispers the word jet within a 50-m radius who's the first person they think of that's right it's you the walking talking Aviation encyclopedia and now it's time to let the world know with the ultimate conversation starter this outrageously cool Aviation mug imagine this you're enjoying your morning coffee when suddenly someone innocently mentions the word airplane your mug catches the light its gleaming surface sending a clear message buckle up folks I'm about to drop some serious Aviation knowledge it's not just the mug it's a warning sign for the impending barrage of fascinating facts and wild stories you're about to unleash so where can you get your hands on This Magnificent Beacon of Aviation enthusiasm look no further than my brand new merch store not only will this mug Kickstart some 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Channel: PilotPhotog

Views: 53,837

Keywords: aviation, flying, photography, aviator, pilot, fly, airplane, plane, planes, pilotphotog, avgeek, F-22, Raptor, Upgrade, Super Raptor, ultimate, NGAD, next generation, IRST, Fuel tanks, stealth, RAM coatings

Id: Sn_pbmN-mRw

Length: 13min 6sec (786 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 15 2024