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Mark Johnston Photography

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  • Raptor from head-on. Note the large engine intakes on each side of the nose, and the large elevators, which can move independently.
  • A quick brake-check is performed before the F-22 taxis out for a flight.
  • The Raptor taxis out for a demonstration flight.
  • The Raptor climbs away with afterburners engaged. The Raptor has lots of control surfaces: ailerons and flaps on the wing trailing edge, wing leading edge slats, independently movable twin rudder and elevator surfaces, and vectored thrust nozzles.
  • Close-up of the underside of the aft section of the fuselage. The Raptor’s two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engines have vectored thrust nozzles, which, in combination with the aircraft’s plentiful control surfaces, allow unprecedented maneuverability.
  • Weapons and other stores that would be carried externally on most other fighter/attact aircraft are all carried internally to keep the Raptor’s radar signature low. The Raptor’s bay doors cycle open in less than a second, and close as rapidly after the stores are released from the aircraft.
  • A high-speed pass with a clear view of the cockpit and upper fuselage surfaces, including the refueling inlet about halfway back from the canopy, on the aircraft’s centerline.
  • A knife-edge pass by the Raptor gives a good view of its control surfaces and thrust-vectoring engines.
  • The US Air Force’s "Heritage Flight" teams current front-line fighter aircraft with vintage models for air shows and other public events. Here the F-22 is paired with a North American P-51D "Mustang". Notice the significant difference in angle of attack - the F-22 is just loafing along to keep from outrunning the Mustang.
  • The Raptor touches down. The F-22 has a very high landing speed of about 150 knots [compared with the F-15’s approach speed of 125 knots].

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04 Jan 2009: Raptor [photos Sept 2008]

Here's the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 "Raptor", which entered service with the US Air Force in December 2005. Unit cost is about USD $122 M. This aircraft is from the 192nd Fighter Wing based at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

The Raptor is an amazing aircraft. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines delivering an estimated 35,000 pounds of thrust per engine [official thrust data is classified]. Maximum speed [also classified] is estimated to be around Mach 1.82 without afterburners, and greater than Mach 2.0 with afterburner engaged. It is one of the few aircraft that can sustain supersonic flight without afterburners.

Stealth technology is used throughout the Raptor's airframe, including radar-absorbent materials, engine outlet shielding, and smooth contours around control surfaces.

All weapons are carried internally, keeping the Raptor's radar signature and aerodynamic drag extremely low. Weapons bay doors cycle open or closed in less than a second when stores are to be released.

Lots of control surfaces, vectored-thrust engines, and a digital flight control system give the Raptor maneuverability heretofore unseen in an aircraft.

Translation: it is fun to watch it fly!

[And I wish that we all lived in a world where the development of this kind of incredible machine was driven more by the joy of flight and less by our need to have a superior weapons system. If the United States would spend more of its wealth on socially, economically, and environmentally beneficial projects around the world, maybe our need for military prowess would not seem so urgent.]

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This page last modified: 21 August 2010.