Aerotech News and Review, Oct. 20 2017

Gathering marks F-22 first flight anniversary
The Flight Test Historical Foundation will be hosting the Gathering of Eagles event Oct. 21.
The event will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the F-22 aircraft’s first flight, which took place Oct. 7, 1997.
This year’s Eagles are:
• Paul Metz — first Fight, Lockheed Martin chief test pilot • Chuck Killberg — first Boeing test pilot
• Bret Luedke – Second Lockheed Martin chief test pilot • Randy Neville — Second Boeing test pilot
• James “JB” Brown – Third Lockheed Martin chief test pilot
• Steve “Hooter” Rainey – First U.S. Air Force F-22 pilot/Boeing F-22 pilot/Current Lockheed Martin chief test pilot
For more on the honorees, see Page 3.
Each panelist will discuss their experiences as Lockheed, Boeing and Air Force F-22 pilots, to be followed by a Q&A session with the audience.
Honorary chairman of the event is retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Doug Pearson.
All proceeds from this event will be used to support the Air Force Flight Test Museum at Edwards AFB and the Blackbird Airpark in Palmdale. Money will be used for repair and restoration of the aircraft in the museum’s inventory, as well as constructing a new state-of-the-art museum and aerospace STEM education center outside the west gate of Edwards AFB, to make it accessible to the general public.
“It is the mission of Flight Test Historical Foundation to preserve the rich local history of flight test through the sup- port of the museum at Edwards AFB and Blackbird Airpark in Palmdale” said Lisa Gray, chairwoman of the Flight Test Historical Foundation board of directors.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to buy one-of- a-kind aviation memorabilia at the live and silent auctions, signed by aviation legends and F-22 crewmembers and personnel.
Twenty years ago, F-22 Raptor flew for first time
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor — one of the U.S. Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft — made its first flight on Oct. 7, 1997.
The fifth-generation fighter’s combination of stealth, super cruise, maneuverability and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability, represents an exponential leap in war fighting capabilities. The Raptor performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions allowing full realization of operational concepts vital to the 21st century Air Force.
The Advanced Tactical Fighter entered the Demonstration and Validation phase in 1986. The prototype aircraft (YF-22 and YF- 23) both completed their first flights in late 1990. Ultimately the YF-22 was selected as best of the two and the engineering and manufacturing development effort began in 1991 with develop- ment contracts to Lockheed/Boeing (airframe) and Pratt & Whit- ney (engines). EMD included extensive subsystem and system testing as well as flight testing with nine aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The first EMD flight was in 1997 and at the completion of its flight test life this aircraft was used for live- fire testing.
October 20, 2017 • Volume 31, Issue 18
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The program received approval to enter low rate initial pro- duction in 2001. Initial operational and test evaluation by the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center was successfully completed in 2004. Based on maturity of design and other factors the program received approval for full rate production in 2005.
The high cost of the aircraft, a lack of clear air-to-air missions due to delays in Russian and Chinese fighter programs, a ban on exports, and development of the more versatile F-35 led to the end of F-22 production. A final procurement tally of 187 opera- tional production aircraft was established in 2009, and the last F-22 was delivered to the U. S. Air Force in 2012.
Air Education and Training Command, Air Combat Command and Pacific Air Forces are the primary Air Force organizations fly- ing the F-22. The aircraft designation was the F/A-22 for a short time before being renamed F-22A in December 2005.
A combination of sensor capability, integrated avionics, situ- ational awareness and weapons provides first-kill opportunity against threats. The F-22 possesses a sophisticated sensor suite al- lowing the pilot to track, identify, shoot and kill air-to-air threats
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before being detected. Significant advances in cockpit design and sensor fusion improve the pilot’s situational awareness. In the air- to-air configuration the Raptor carries six AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders.
The F-22 has a significant capability to attack surface targets. In the air-to-ground configuration the aircraft can carry two 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions internally and will use on-board avionics for navigation and weapons de- livery support. In the future air-to-ground capability will be en- hanced with the addition of an upgraded radar and up to eight small diameter bombs. The Raptor will also carry two AIM-120s and two AIM-9s in the air-to-ground configuration.
Advances in low-observable technologies provide significantly improved survivability and lethality against air-to-air and surface- to-air threats. The F-22 brings stealth into the day, enabling it not only to protect itself but other assets.
The F-22 engines produce more thrust than any current fighter
See RaptoR, page 7
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