Thursday, February 14, 2008
Thanks to Tom Glennon for sending these pics along, of the first operational FA/22's arriving at Langley AFB (in '05 -- grabbed a fifth pic from Blackfive).
The pics themselves are in the extended entry below. Let the page load completely for the full gallery effect (and you need Javascript). Here's the text that came with the email:
These are Great In-flight Photos of the F/A-22 as the first Aircraft Delivery was being made to Langley AFB in VA. Langley is to be first Operational AFB for the F/A-22. It is a very Beautiful AFB, located in a picturesque location, as you can see in these photos, near Norfolk and Hampton , Va.
The Aircraft flying along with the F/A-22 in the last of these photos is the F-15, which will be replaced by the F/A-22 which is several times better than the F-15. In Actual In-flight (simulated) Combat Operations against the F-15, two F/A-22's were able to operate without detection while it went Head to Head against (8) F-15's. The F/A-22's scored Missile Hits (Kills) against all the F-15 Aircraft and the F/A-22's were never Detected by either the F-15's or Ground Based Radar.
Maj. Gen. Rick Lewis said: "The Raptor Operated Against All Adversaries with Virtual Impunity; Ground Based Systems Couldn't Engage and NO Adversary Aircraft Survived"!!! F/A-22-- America 's Most Advanced Fighter Aircraft for the 21st Century!!!! They're a titanium and carbon fiber dagger. They're so advanced that if their on-board locator is switched off even our own satellites can lose track of them. They're the first military aircraft ever built that is equipped with a "black-out button". What that means is this ... The best conditioned fighter pilots are capable of maintaining consciousness up to in the vicinity of 15+ G. The Raptor is capable of making 22+ G. turns. If some day an adversary builds a missile that is capable of catching up to one of these airplanes and a Raptor pilot sees that a strike is imminent, he hits the "b.o.b." and the airplane makes a virtual U-turn, leaving the missile to pass right on by. They know that in the process he'll temporarily lose consciousness, so the Raptor then automatically comes back to straight and level flight until he wakes back up.
Enjoy the Photos
(Sorry, the Blockbuster ad -- for one -- overlaps the pics depending on where you are on the page. Please just refresh until you get a different ad until I fix that...sorry.)
Gorgeous!
Looks as though John Boyd's lessons about huge wings have been taken to heart. (The F-15 Eagle, remember, is the one that an Israeli pilot was able to fly -- and land -- with only one wing. And the FA/22 outperforms the F-15.)
Speaking of which... I do hope that Israeli F-15s don't have to go up against these babies. I really do. (Is America selling FA/22s yet, and if so, to whom?)
respectfully,
Daniel in Brookline
I'm skeptical. First of all, satellites aren't designed to detect aircraft in mid air (per the report.) Second, 22 G's? That kind of sudden force can cause major injury to the pilot. We're not talking just blackouts here. Finally, most missiles are capable of pulling 30+ G's. You outmanouver missiles with other strategies, not some blackout button. The Raptor's greatest asset is its ability to avoid being detected and fired upon in the first place.