U.S. Air Force F-22 maneuvers after being aerial refueled by KC-135 tanker during the airstrikes. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Verno...
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| U.S. Air Force F-22 maneuvers after being aerial refueled by KC-135 tanker during the airstrikes. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr. |
The fifth generation Lockheed Martin built F-22 Raptor stealth fighter flew its debut combat mission in air to ground role.
The F-22 targeted an ISIL command and control building with GPS-guided precision munitions.
In addition to striking targets, the greatest capability the F-22 brings is its integrated avionics and fused sensors that facilitate situational awareness to be shared with other aircraft in the mission. This makes other fighters more lethal and survivable.
In air-to-ground configuration, Raptor can carry two 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions or up to eight GBU-39 small diameter bombs in its internal weapon bay along with two air to air missiles in two smaller bays on the sides of the fuselage, aft of the engine intakes.
The fighters were deployed from the Al Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates. USAF officials declined to comment on the no of F-22s used during the strikes.
The F-22s achieved initial operational capability in 2005 and full operational capability in 2007, hence it was not deployed during the two previous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It is the first operational aircraft to combine supercruise- sustained supersonic flight without using fuel guzzling afterburners, maneuverability, stealth, and sensor fusion into a single platform.
Other U.S. aircraft participating in the operation included Predator remotely piloted aircraft, F-15E, F-16, F/A-18 and B-1 bombers. The Arab partner jets included Mirages from Qatar, F-16s from Jordan and UAE, and Saudi F-15S fighters.
The first stage of air strikes on Sept 23, began with the launch of 40 Raytheon Tomahawk cruise missiles from the USS Arleigh Burke in the Red Sea and the USS Philippine Sea in the northern Arabian Gulf.
During the second stage the F-22s were employed. The third stage featured US Navy Boeing F/A-18s, operating from the aircraft carrier USS George H W Bush in the Arabian Gulf, along with Jordanian F-16s.
The F-22 Raptor is a twin-engine single-seat air dominance fighter designed to achieve a first-look, first-kill capability. The Raptor can cruise without afterburners at speeds of about Mach 1.8 and has a top speed of around M2.2. Raptor is also one of the costliest fighter program, costing $67 billion. Although USAF has a formidable fleet of 187 fighters, the current arsenal is not what the USAF originally envisioned in 1990s, the no was reduced progressively from 750 to present level, siting lack of same class opponent and high cost.
The final F-22 Raptor was delivered to USAF on May 2, 2012, completing the world’s only operational 5th Generation fleet.
