From the inception of the battle, the F-22's primary objective will be to establish absolute control of the skies through the conduct of counterair
operations. The fighter also has an inherent precision ground attack capability. The F-22 is capable of carrying existing and planned medium and short range air-to-air missiles in internal
bays. The F-22 will also have an internal 20-mm cannon and provisions for carrying precision ground attack
weapons.
The F-22 Raptor is being developed to counter lethal threats posed by advanced surface-to-air missile systems and next generation fighters equipped with launch-and-leave
missiles. The Air Force faces two challenges to providing air dominance with its current fleet of fighter
aircraft. First, other nations continuously improve their aerial warfare capability by fielding
newer, faster, more maneuverable aircraft, such as the MiG-29, Su-35, Rafale,
Gripen, and Eurofighter. Second, potential adversaries have added sophisticated air defenses built around surface-to-air missiles that can target conventional aircraft more accurately and at greater distances than in the
past. The F-22 has the stealth, speed, and maneuverability to overcome these challenges and ensure air dominance over any
battlefield.
The F-22's combination of stealth, integrated avionics, maneuverability and supercruise will give Raptor pilots a
first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability against the aircraft of any potential
enemy. The F-22 is designed to provide not just air superiority, but air
dominance, winning quickly and decisively with few US casualties. The Raptor also has an inherent air-to-ground
capability.
The F-22 will provide a first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability through the use of reduced observables and advanced
sensors. To decrease the reaction time of enemy threats, increased supersonic
cruise, and maneuverability goals have been set. The F-22's avionics suite is a highly integrated system maximizing performance to allow the pilot to concentrate on the
mission, rather than on managing the sensors as in current fighters. To improve operations from battle-damaged
runways, the F-22 offers significantly reduced takeoff and landing distances, as compared to
today's frontline fighters. A greatly increased combat radius, using internal fuel
only, will give F-22 pilots the capability to engage the enemy over his territory and support long-range air-to-ground assets such as the F-15E. The F-22 will also bring a precision ground attack capability to the
battlefield. In addition to greater lethality and survivability, the F-22 design calls for higher
reliability, maintainability, and sortie generation rates than the aircraft it will
replace. The design goal for all areas is a 100 percent improvement over the F-15 weapon system.
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We
will never forget 11/9/01...
