F-22 Raptor - discussione ufficiale

[TT-1 Pinto]

Dispiegamento semplificato e .... più rapido ....

 

Rapid Raptor Package ....

 

F-22 officers at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, have devised a concept that allows for dispatching a contingent of F-22s to any forward location and having the fighters combat-ready at the new location—all within 24 hours of deploying.

 

Fonte .... .... http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2013/September%202013/box092613rapid.aspx

[holmes7]

Forse verso la base del Qatar.

 

http://theaviationist.com/2013/09/30/f-22-jber-lajes/#.Uk7SbySTjRM

 

 

[brain_use]

Vado leggermente OT rispetto al topic della discussione.

Però non riesco ad esimermi da una considerazione: se uno UAV ha bisogno di essere scortato da un caccia manned, c'è qualcosa che non torna... ;-)

[Vultur]

In teoria si, in pratica no; uno UAV è oggi totalmente indifeso se uno decide di decollare e andarlo ad abbattere.

[-{-Legolas-}-]

Vado leggermente OT rispetto al topic della discussione.

Però non riesco ad esimermi da una considerazione: se uno UAV ha bisogno di essere scortato da un caccia manned, c'è qualcosa che non torna... ;-)

Potrebbe aver senso,se gli UAV da proteggere fossero più di uno contemporaneamente?

Nel caso,un F-22 per proteggere un'area dove ci possono essere molti UAV.

[holmes7]

Vado leggermente OT rispetto al topic della discussione.

Però non riesco ad esimermi da una considerazione: se uno UAV ha bisogno di essere scortato da un caccia manned, c'è qualcosa che non torna... ;-)

 

Un UAV tattico vola ad una velocita inferiore ai 400 km orari e non dispone di missili aria-aria.

 

Si tratta quindi di un facile preda anche per aerei che sono poco sofisticati come un F4E o un Mig21

[fabio-22raptor]

E questo fà risaltare anche come gli UAV non siano più considerati delle risorse spendibili se vengono scortati nientemeno dal Raptor.

[TT-1 Pinto]

La prima neve ....

 

Maintenance crews work on two snow-covered F-22 Raptors as a third F-22 takes off from JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Sept. 23, 2013.

This marked the first snow of the season at Elmendorf, according to base officials.

(Air Force photo by SSgt. Zachary Wolf)

 

Fonte .... il "Daily Report" dell'AFA ....

 

[fabio-22raptor]

Intanto, in quel di Tyndall

 

 

 

 

USAF activates new F-22 squadron at Tyndall AFB

The US Air Force is activating the 95th Fighter Squadron at Tyndall AFB, Florida, on 11 October, kicking off a process that will eventually see 24 additional F-22 Raptors being assigned to the base.

“The squadron is being reactivated tomorrow,” says Col Max Marosko, commander of the 325th Operations Group. “The jets won’t start showing up until January.”

Once the first jets arrive in January, more will start arriving in phases through April 2014.The squadron will eventually have 24 aircraft, which includes 21 primary jets and three backup aircraft.

The Raptors were previously based at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, with the 7th Fighter Squadron, but are being shifted as part of an overall USAF effort to consolidate its F-22s at six bases. Combined with the 31 Raptors already assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall AFB will host a total of 55 F-22s. “It’s the largest concentration in the air force,” Marosko says.

The 95th Fighter Squadron will not be immediately mission ready when its jets arrive. It will have to slowly ramp up its operations to get back up to speed. Marosko says he expects the unit to be mission ready by the “summer”.

Unlike the wing’s 43rd Fighter Squadron, which is the F-22 formal training unit, the 95th Fighter Squadron will be a frontline combat unit. While it is somewhat unusual for an operational unit to be based alongside a training unit, it is not unprecedented, Marosko says. The USAF’s fleet of BoeingF-15E Strike Eagles has a similar setup.

In addition to the Raptors, the 325th Fighter Wing will also receive 10 additional Northrop T-38s by the end of the third quarter, bringing the total number of Talon jet trainers at the base up to 20. The small twin-engined jets are used as adversary aircraft for the Raptors. However, using the T-38 for aggressor training has some limitations since the Talon does not have radar or the ability to carry captive air training missiles. But “it helps free up Raptor lines for training,” Marosko says.

[-{-Legolas-}-]

Di questa notizia mi piace che, ora il gruppo viene attivato, però fino a dopo Natale non si comincia a volare, quindi passeranno tre mesi ad ambientarsi con le rispettive famiglie, e faranno delle belle festività, poi che ci saranno 55 Raptor tutti in un posto, ed infine che il vecchio T-38 Talon è dai tempi di Top Gun che costituisce una valida piattaforma d'addestramento per i piloti.

[fabio-22raptor]

Sai che fatica ambientarsi in Florida con 30° tutto l'anno comunque in termini di numeri la presenza dei Raptor li è imponente se pensiamo al numero complessivo di aerei prodotti. Circa 1/3.

[TT-1 Pinto]

Un'altra notizia dalla Tyndall AFB ....

 

Tyndall Flies its 25,000th F-22 Training Sortie ....

 

The F-22 schoolhouse at Tyndall AFB, Fla., flew its 25,000th Raptor sortie since it began instructing F-22 pilots more than 10 years ago, according to a base release.

An F-22 with the 43rd Fighter Squadron flew the milestone sortie on Oct. 7 during an air combat training mission with other F-22s and T-38s from the base, states Tyndall's Oct. 9 release.

"This number marks the accomplishment of producing many students to move on into combat-coded units, which in turn provides the top cover to the men and women on the ground fighting the war," said MSgt. Jamie Leach, 43rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit lead production superintendent.

The 43rd FS, a component of Tyndall's 325th Fighter Wing, is the Air Force's sole flying squadron for training F-22 pilots.

"We couldn't have achieved this landmark, if it wasn't for the years of hard work and the support of all the units on base," said Capt. David Delmage, 43rd FS instructor pilot and flight commander.

 

Tyndall report by SrA. Christopher Reel.

 

10/11/2013

 

Fonte .... il "Daily Report" dell'AFA ....

 

Team Tyndall achieved their 25,000th F-22 sortie during a 43rd Fighter Squadron Basic Course training mission Oct. 7.

A sortie begins when an individual aircraft takes off and ends when it lands.

The 43rd Fighter Squadron is responsible for providing air dominance training for the world's newest fighter, the F-22 Raptor.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. J. Wilcox)

[TT-1 Pinto]

Ancora sull'attivazione del 95th Fighter Squadron presso la Tyndall AFB ....

 

.... dal "Daily Report" dell'AFA .... "F-22 Squadron Activated at Tyndall" .... http://www.airforcemag.com/DRArchive/Pages/2013/October%202013/October%2017%202013/F-22-Squadron-Activated-at-Tyndall.aspx

[Scagnetti]

The Florida base is getting its F-22s from Holloman AFB, N.M., which is losing all of its F-22s.

 

Quindi il 7th squadron di Raptor viene disattivato, come era previsto e a Holloman restano solo Reaper e Predator.

 

[fabio-22raptor]

Una QRF per i Raptor:

 

 

October 25, 2013: Over the last few years the U.S. Air Force has developed a novel way to make the most of the few (180) F-22s it has. This particular solution comes in the form of an F-22 QRF (Quick Reaction Force) that consists of four F-22s and a C-17 full of weapons, maintenance gear, maintainers, specialized pods, weapons, and spare pilots ready to fly to any of hundreds of airports or bases in the world that can handle four F-22s and a C-17. When there is a need for a few stealthy fighters somewhere on the planet, the QRF can be off and set up within a day to provide seventy-two hours of F-22 air support and a dozen or more sorties. The QRF pilots are trained to handle air superiority or a wide range of surface (land and sea) attacks. Think of this as the Fedex of specialized air support.

Speaking of support, to make the F-22 QRF system work, the air force has also arranged to send up aerial tankers as needed (to get the five QRF aircraft to their temporary base). In addition, there is a stay-behind planning and control staff as well as liaison officers and diplomats prepared to ensure that the overseas base is ready to receive the QRF and allow it to operate. Since F-22s require some complex and difficult-to-move maintenance gear for sustained operations, you would have to rotate fresh F-22s in once or twice a week, depending on how often you flew the aircraft in combat.

The QRF is not a wonder weapon but simply another novel and useful use of the stealthy F-22, which depends on stealth and operating alone in many situations to achieve the best results. Thus, a few F-22s can carry out operations that less stealthy bombers would require many escorts to take care of enemy air defenses.

[brain_use]

 

Un UAV tattico vola ad una velocita inferiore ai 400 km orari e non dispone di missili aria-aria.

 

Si tratta quindi di un facile preda anche per aerei che sono poco sofisticati come un F4E o un Mig21

 

 

Potrebbe aver senso,se gli UAV da proteggere fossero più di uno contemporaneamente?

Nel caso,un F-22 per proteggere un'area dove ci possono essere molti UAV.

 

Comprenso benissimo entrambe le osservazioni.

Quel che intendevo dire, però, è che il concetto di UAV si basa anche sull'opportunità di ridurre il rischio per le risorse umane.

Ma se per far volare un UAV ho bisogno un caro vecchio pilota su un F-22, evidentemente, siamo ancora molto lontani dal poter far a meno del pilota e del suo skill, almeno nella componente di supremazia aerea. Fine OT.

[TT-1 Pinto]

Lacrime di coccodrillo ....

 

 

Raptor Hindsight ....

 

One of the most controversial decisions to occur after the sacking of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne in 2008 was former Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ decision to close the F-22 Raptor line at 187 airframes.

Moseley’s advocacy for the fighter’s role in USAF’s force structure was widely acknowledged as a contributing factor to his firing.

Speaking at an AFA Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies event on Thursday, Moseley said to this day he believes that 2009 decision was one of the most “strategically dislocating” choices the US has made in years.

While USAF wasn’t going to get hundreds more airframes, the decision to abrogate the line before getting real savings, and possibly a foreign military sales agreement with a close ally like Japan, was a real setback, Moseley said.

The last aircraft coming off the line were ringing up per unit prices around $85 million a piece, Moseley claimed, and if another multiyear had been approved those numbers would have held.

There’s no fighter on the market today, with the capability the Raptor has, at this price range, he said.

“Knowing what I know now, I would have been more aggressive in defending it,” he emphasized.

Marc V. Schanz - 12/6/2013

 

Fonte .... il "Daily Report" dell'AFA ....

 

A questo punto mi chiedo .... verrà mai, un giorno, la pubblica ammissione di errore da parte dell'ex SecDef Gates e, soprattutto, ci sarà mai, un altro giorno, un qualche generalone dell'USAF che si dichiarerà pentito per l'aver scippato all'Esercito il programma JCA per poi successivamente affossarlo?

 

Lo so, lo so .... le mie sono soltanto fantasie sfrenate ....

[holmes7]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/21/us-lockheed-f-idUSBRE9BK00620131221

 

 

Oltre mezzo miliardo di dollari, per soli 9 mesi di "......support, logistics and modifications...."

 

Forse ci stanno modifiche all'avionica.

[-{-Legolas-}-]

Ci staranno anche i laser come quelli di guerre stellari per quella cifra

[fabio-22raptor]

Effettivamente sembra troppo.. ma il Raptor e' delicato.. pero' tempo fa' si parlava dei vari inchrement.. chissa'...

[fabio-22raptor]

http://theaviationist.com/2013/12/24/f-22-targeting-tlams/

 

Raptor e Lightning II per la difesa dai missili balistici nello scenario Pacifico.

[TT-1 Pinto]

Ma ..... da dove è venuto?

 

 

While We're In the Neighborhood ....

 

An F-22 Raptor conducted a fly-by at the Bahrain International Air Show on Jan. 16.

But where did it come from?

An Air Force Headquarters spokesman said F-22s are "currently deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia,” making them available for the show without making a dedicated trip from CONUS for the occasion.

The flyby is "one way we can showcase US military aircraft at a premier air show," the spokesman said.

The F-22 and a B-1B bomber—also based in the region—will make flybys, but not be on static display, although a number of US military aircraft, mostly Navy, will be.

"We have a longstanding relationship with the air show and our regional military partners and we hope that it will enhance our future relationships," the spokesman said.

Participation "enhances our interoperability and demonstrates our shared commitment to regional security and stability."

Air Force officials have previously disclosed that F-22s have rotated to an unnamed base in the region of the Persian Gulf, especially during heightened tensions with Iran.

Last March, an F-22 warned off Iranian F-4s, which were intercepting a USAF MQ-1 Predator drone over the Persian Gulf.

Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told attendees at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in September that the F-22 inspected one F-4's weapons load from below—apparently unnoticed—and then "pulled up on their left wing and called them and said, 'You really ought to go home.'"

 

John A. Tirpak - 1/22/2014

 

Fonte .... il "Daily Report" dell'AFA ....

 

Nell'ultimo minuto del video ....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk5UcoRCyHU

 

 

[-{-Legolas-}-]

Bella comparsata, che ovviamente sembra un bell'avviso a tutti i paesi del teatro asiatico:"Siamo qui!"

[Scagnetti]

Sulla natura dell’aggiornamento dei Raptor (oltre a parlare anche di altre questioni: dismissione A-10/U2 e nuovi programmi F-35 e Global Hawk), fa chiarezza il Gen. Hostage, a capo dell'US Air Combat Command, forse il comando dell'USAF più importante: http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20140202/NEWS04/302020005/Air-Combat-Command-s-challenge-Buy-new-modernize-older-aircraft

 

Q. What about upgrades to the F-22?

A. The F-22, when it was produced, was flying with computers that were already so out of date you would not find them in a kid’s game console in somebody’s home gaming system. But I was forced to use that because that was the spec that was written by the acquisition process when I was going to buy the F-22.

Then, I have to go through the [service life extension plan] and [cost and assessment program evaluation] efforts with airplanes to try to get modern technology into my legacy fleet. That is why the current upgrade programs to the F-22 I put easily as critical as my F-35 fleet. If I do not keep that F-22 fleet viable, the F-35 fleet frankly will be irrelevant. The F-35 is not built as an air superiority platform. It needs the F-22. Because I got such a pitifully tiny fleet, I’ve got to ensure I will have every single one of those F-22s as capable as it possibly can be.

 

[Scagnetti]

Finalmente si profila la piena integrazione, non più solo in ricezione, link 16, oltre al MADL. Speriamo che gli studi di LM verranno concretizzati, contrattualizzati e finanziati e non soffriranno mancanze di fondi: Lockheed Secretly Demonstrates New Stealthy Fighter Comms

 

The company recently showcased a new datalink capability for the fighters through Project Missouri, a proprietary program. During the demonstration, Lockheed validated the use of a Link 16 transmit capability from the twin-engine F-22 Raptor as well as showcased a waveform developed by L-3 Communications and optimized for low-probability-of-intercept/low-probability-of-detection transmissions (LPI/LPD), says Ron Bessire, vice president of technology and innovation at the company’s Skunk Works.

 

The demonstration required 8 hr. of flight time and took place Dec. 17 and 19, Bessire tells Aviation Week. The trials required the use of an Air Force Raptor as well as the F-35 Cooperative Avionics Testbed (CATbird), a 737-based flying laboratory that is used to test F-35 software standing in as a Joint Strike Fighter surrogate. The F-22 was able to transmit to a Link 16 terminal on the ground.

 

The F-22 was designed to communicate only with other Raptors in an effort to reduce emissions from the aircraft to maintain signal stealth in the event of a peer-to-peer engagement. However, because of a dramatic cutback in the number of Raptors purchased — 187 operational — the aircraft must now communicate with F-35s expected to enter service next year as well as legacy “fourth-generation” fighters such as the F-15, F-16 and F-18 families.

 

This so-called fourth-to-fifth capability was highlighted as a need last week by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh at the annual Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., but a firm requirement and funding are lacking. Describing the technology as “nothing cosmic,” Welsh said such a link would extend the range and improve the effectiveness of each platform; ultimately what is needed is handoff of weapons-quality data, meaning data from one aircraft can be used by another to accurately fire a weapon.

 

“We demonstrated the data was being transmitted at a high rate, [enough] to support rapid update of the air tracks to whomever was on Link 16,” Bessire says.

Should such a capability be fielded, the F-22 could be used to enhance the effectiveness of F-15s and F-16s in an air battle though most of the older fighters lack the use of an active, electronically scanned array radar. The F-22’s Northrop Grumman radar is able to detect airborne threats at ranges far exceeding those of radars on the older fighters.