F-22 Raptor advanced tactical fighter aircraft

F22 Raptor making it's first flight	The F-22 Raptor in it's production form first flew on the 7 September 1997 and has now at the tail end of 2005 officially begun operational service in the U.S.A.F. as the F-22A. The F-22 will herald the next generation of fighter aircraft, combining stealth capability in an airframe capable of high performance. Power is provided by two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofans each rated at 35,000lbs thrust. These engines are capable of pitch axis thrust vectoring for increased manoeuvrability in this axis. The precurser of the Raptor which was named the YF-22 Lightning II was flying in the early nineties. This aircraft was in competition with the YF-23 from Northrop Mcdonnell Douglas in the bidding to secure the contract for the United States advanced tactical fighter Contract. This early experimental forebear of the Raptor crashed in 1992 on landing.
The F-22 is a similar size to the F-15 Eagle. Length is just over 62 ft while wingspan is 44.5 ft. Performance figures are still unclear for this new aircraft but it looks likely that the production aircraft are easily mach 2 capable, with a ceiling of over 65,000ft. It will probably be some time before accurate figures are released for this high-tech aircraft, which uses various plastics and Titanium alloys in it's construction. Being designed as a high performance steath fighter created the need for internal ordnance carrying capability. The Raptor can carry it's AAMs and AG missiles in internal bays thus not increasing the radar visibility of the aircraft. The plane can also carry load on four external hardpoints if stealth is not a consideration on a particular mission. F-22 aircraft also carry the ubiquitous Vulcan cannon.	F22 Raptor formation
F22 Raptor	Raptor operational roleout looks set to commence over the rest of this decade partly replacing older aircraft. The plane will see use as both an air superiority fighter, ground attack aircraft and will likely be used for electronic based missions. The aircraft operates a highly advanced radar which undoubtedly means an all weather capability. The aircraft is not a cheap one however and this will be likely to limit the number of operational Raptors. In any case the cheaper Joint Strike Fighter will probably take the lions share of future service.