AMERICA UNDER ATTACK OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM We will never forget 11/9/01...
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The F-22 is 62 feet, 1 inch long, it has a wingspan of 44 feet 6 inches, and stands 16
feet, 5 inches tall. The F-22A is a single seat aircraft.
"Supercruise" is the term given to the capability of sustaining supersonic speeds for long periods of time. Conventional
fighters, while capable of supersonic flight, can only sustain these speeds for relatively short periods as the result of excessively high fuel consumption using
afterburner. The F-22's engines produce more thrust than any current fighter
engine, especially in military (non-afterburner) power. Called "supercruise," this characteristic allows the F-22 to efficiently cruise at supersonic airspeeds without using
afterburners. The F-22's engine is expected to be the first to provide the ability to fly faster than the speed of sound for an extended period of time without the high fuel consumption characteristic of aircraft that use afterburners to achieve supersonic
speeds. It is expected to provide high performance and high fuel efficiency at slower speeds as
well. This capability greatly expands the F-22's operating envelope in both speed and range over current fighters that must use afterburner to operate at supersonic
speeds. The F-22 can cruise supersonically without afterburner and, therefore, can sustain these speeds for long
periods. The enemy must react to any intruder and that reaction time to detect, aim weapons and
launch, is severely reduced when the intruder is moving fast. At supercruise
speeds, the F-22 (and its pilot) becomes less vulnerable to enemy missiles and aircraft simply because they cannot react fast
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