F-22 / F-35 5th Generation jets | News & Discussions.

[FuturePAF]

Inside the Fort Worth, TX F-35 factory

 

[dexter]

Clear for takeoff!
Operating with F-35B Lightning II aircraft from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit on a gorgeous day in the Philippine Sea. #WeAreAmerica #MarineCapability #FlyMarines #BlueGreenTeam

 

[CSAW]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1515532582980624390

 

[The SC]

 

[_Cyber_]

I've heard that the F-35A has serious problems shooting accurately with its internal cannon and even faces structural cracks as a result. Apparently, the pilots have been told to reduce its use/only use it in an emergency; they say it needs to be "re-bore sighted" and the software needs to be fixed so that it can perform the required corrections and compensate for the inaccuracies. Is this true? Because this "F-35 can't shoot straight" thing is all over the place.

 

[Gomig-21]

I've heard that the F-35A has serious problems shooting accurately with its internal cannon and even faces structural cracks as a result. Apparently, the pilots have been told to reduce its use/only use it in an emergency; they say it needs to be "re-bore sighted" and the software needs to be fixed so that it can perform the required corrections and compensate for the inaccuracies. Is this true? Because this "F-35 can't shoot straight" thing is all over the place.

The software seems to be a pesky problem with this aircraft that just won't go away. It has plagued this aircraft since it first got on the assembly line. They've been trying to work out all the bugs with it and probably will eventually, but it's been a stickler for sure.

Just saw this pic, highlighting the F-22 Raptor's 2D nozzles and the phenomenal engineering as well as quality build.

 

[PakFactor]

The software seems to be a pesky problem with this aircraft that just won't go away. It has plagued this aircraft since it first got on the assembly line. They've been trying to work out all the bugs with it and probably will eventually, but it's been a stickler for sure.

Just saw this pic, highlighting the F-22 Raptor's 2D nozzles and the phenomenal engineering as well as quality build.

View attachment 870398

Amazing but it feels like the nozzles are painted as well.

 

[Gomig-21]

Amazing but it feels like the nozzles are painted as well.

At first, I thought it was the natural color of heated titanium. I don't think any of them paint the nozzle areas where there is extreme heat from afterburners, do they?

Reminds me of a similar thing Sukhoi does with the Su-35S (and probably the Su-30 line) where they keep the natural metallic finish of the forward half of the horizontal stabilizers and only paint the back half of that surface and the reason is because their placement is directly in the line of exhaust fire from the missiles being fired off the two inner pylons on the wings. They probably painted it on the original Su-27s and then found out the rocket fire from the missiles they fired was burning up and stripping the paint off. So they came up with that solution of keeping the metal bare, most likely titanium.

Engine nacelles are also unpainted due to extreme heat.

 

[Gomig-21]

A work of art.

This is a long read, but if you're interested in keeping up with the latest developments in US fighter technology, this is a great read as it highlights the F-22's future planning for integration with all the fighters into a newly functioning and highly efficient networking system which starts with the integration of the US military's latest masterpiece creation in the AIM-260 into the F-22 Raptor. The fighter already really has no immediate competitive threat whatsoever and now with a longer ranged BVR AAMRAM in the AIM-260, this fighter's lethality has only been augmented even more than it was before. The US is truly in a place on its own and way ahead of everyone else by miles and miles.

F-22 Raptor Being Readied For AIM-260 Missile By ‘Green Bats’ Testers​

Inside Nellis Week: The ‘Green Bats’ improve the USAF’s fighter fleet, including making sure the F-22 stays on top for years to come.​

"The Raptor has a huge amount of resources going into its modernization right now to ensure it continues to be the cornerstone of air superiority for the next decade-plus,” says Maj. Kevin “Renegade” Autrey, the lead F-22 Raptor operational test pilot at the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) “Green Bats,” stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Autrey is presiding over one of the busiest periods ever when it comes to enhancements for the Raptor, with some remarkable new capabilities coming down the track.

“Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall says the Raptor is the air dominance solution until Next-Generation Air Dominance [NGAD] comes online. The threat is becoming increasingly advanced and our answer to that is modernizing the Raptor in a few different ways,” says Autrey. It’s not just the Raptor that is a focus for the “Green Bats,” in fact, the squadron’s fighter modernization efforts are wide-ranging and comprehensive.

Editor's Note: Welcome to Inside Nellis Week day four at The War Zone! Each day this week we will have a major feature on the aircraft, tactics, munitions, and people that are leading the world in air combat training and development.

“We’re making sure all the different fighter platforms — at the “4-2-2” we’re focused on the fighters — are fully integrated so that if a conflict kicks off, all the pieces fit together seamlessly,” adds Lt. Col. Brent “Sword” Golden, commander of the 422nd TES. Teamwork and networking aircraft and ground systems, command and control – all known as integration – is a key theme that runs through high-end warfighting throughout the modern U.S. Air Force.

An F-35A assigned to the 422nd TES. Jamie Hunter

Golden’s squadron is part of the 53rd Wing, which is actually headquartered at Eglin AFB, in Florida. The 422 is a tenant at Nellis under the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group. “The Department of Defense and the USAF are putting a lot of money towards fighter modernization — aircraft like the F-35 and the F-22 — and we are looking to facilitate that modernization here at the 422.”

The 422nd TES operates approximately 60 jets – A-10s, F-15Es, F-16s, F-22s, and F-35s. It also has a Command and Control (C2) division composed of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs), Air Battle Managers, and Weapons Directors. Its co-location with the USAF Warfare Center at Nellis is no coincidence. This is all about keeping both equipment, networks, and operators at the leading edge of capability.

A tantalizing artist’s impression of a modernized F-22 released recently by the head of Air Combat Command Gen. Mark Kelly alluded to what the future looks like for the Air Force’s most capable air-to-air fighter. The F-22’s biggest-ever enhancement program is known as the Raptor Agile Capability Release (RACR). The philosophy behind RACR is that approximately once a year the Air Force will upgrade the jet’s software and sometimes make minor internal hardware changes using rapid prototyping and rapid fielding acquisition authorities.

“The idea is that if we can modernize the Raptor on a yearly cycle, we can get [the] capability to the warfighter on a faster pace than we have seen in the last decade,” explains Maj. Autrey. The first phase of RACR is Release 1, known as R1, which sets the field for future updates as the major hardware and software enabler for the subsequent R2 enhancement and beyond.

A tantalizing artist’s impression of the fully upgraded F-22 Raptor. USAF/ACC

The R1 test design was divided into three phases. Phase 1 included early operational test support to developmental testing and operational testing with early, non-fielded capabilities. Phase 2 included dedicated operational testing during mission trial events, and Phase 3 is post-fielding monitoring. R1 developmental testing was completed on August 16, 2021, encompassing a total of 263 sorties and 308 flight hours. During R1’s Phase 1 Force Development Evaluation (FDE), operational test aircraft accumulated 286 sorties and 332 flight hours. Phase 2 FDE operational testing started in August 2021 and included three offensive and two defensive counter-air mission test events on the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR).

An F-22 Raptor of the 422nd TES. Jamie Hunter

“We have fielded R1 – we completed our operational testing in the fall of 2021. Right now we are full steam ahead with R2 and about to begin testing R3 this summer,” says Autrey. The first jets in operational squadrons have already started receiving the R1 upgrades. One of the major differences between jets that are pre-RACR and those that are now upgraded to R1 is the addition of an open-system architecture and a Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS-JTRS) terminal that finally enables the Raptor to fully use the standard Link 16 datalink protocol, including transmitting the Raptor’s datalink ‘picture.’ For its entire service life, the Raptor has, with a few exceptions, only been able to share the precious data it collects with other F-22s. R1 also includes Mode 5 IFF [identification friend-or-foe], which is a huge step forward for the Raptor in terms of combat identification.

The big headline for R1 is that it prepares the Raptor for JATM – the secretive new AIM-260 Joint Air Tactical Missile, designed to give U.S. fighters a new edge in air combat. “We are in the middle of getting ready for live-fire tests this summer, part of a huge joint test effort between the operational testers at Nellis, and the developmental testers at Edwards AFB, California. The JATM program is completely dependent on RACR-standard, and the F-22 needs R1 and R2 – to an extent – to shoot JATM. That’s everything from integrating the missile into our software, the indications we see in the cockpit, the information we can share with the missile, and the way we interact with the missile from a targeting perspective. There’s a lot of new technology in JATM that is much more advanced than our current [AIM-120 AMRAAM] missile’s technology.”

R2, which is now entering operational testing, includes a lot of JATM software, which is important as the USAF develops the pilot/vehicle interface. R3 will expand the Link 16 envelope with message sharing between allied forces and some upgrades to existing sensors.

The F-22 is also getting an Infra-Red Search and Track (IRST), which is a passive sensor that can track targets at long ranges. IRST is a notable omission from the jet’s current arsenal. “It’s going to be a podded solution,” explains Autrey. “The IRST is a way to get out of the RF [radio-frequency spectrum] fight; it’s another means to a single-ship kill-chain, and it’s got a lot of attention. The technology in the IRST is very impressive. The IR kill-chain we’ve demonstrated in the Department of Defense is extremely hard to get right, and we are putting a lot of time and attention into ensuring the pod is value added to the warfighter.” The War Zone recently revealed images of an F-22 flying with the pods during testing. “The pods are going to be configured to ensure the F-22 retains its stealth capability,” Autrey confirms.

Despite the list of improvements coming down the pipe for the Raptor, the long-held desire for the F-22 pilot to be able to wear a helmet-mounted cueing system still remains “not a hard defined requirement,” according to Autrey. While systems have been tested in the past, he confirms it is on the wishlist. “We are looking at whether we can exploit the open-system architecture in R1 to add a commercial off-the-shelf helmet capability sooner. The problem we have always run into with the helmet is having a truly two-way interactive helmet that can cue or point the AIM-9X missile. That requires extensive software changes. A one-way data stream, where the jet puts some of its information into the visor, is a potentially quicker solution and is something we are looking at right now.” Autrey confirmed that the Raptor test community is looking at three possible helmet solutions, and explains that the need is there because the threat already has that capability.

Of the two F-22s on the 422’s books that have been regularly photographed flying out of Nellis sporting new coatings, Autrey would only comment that these jets are wearing experimental materiel solutions. “We are just trying to see if it’s easier to maintain sustainability and reliability of the aircraft,” he said.

The 422nd TES is heavily involved in F-16 upgrade efforts including the new AN/APG-83 radar upgrade. Jamie Hunter

The sheer amount of ongoing operational test work for the F-35A means that this is the most numerous fighter on the books of the “Green Bats.” Maj. Robert “Dawg” Belz has flown the F-35 since 2017 and he confirmed that, like the F-22, the F-35 is now on a path of continuous upgrade. “At the 422 we are between six months and two years ahead of what the warfighter gets. The Continuous Capability Development and Delivery [C2D2] called for a new Operational Flight Program [software improvement] every six months for the F-35. We’ve stretched that out to about a yearly cycle, and we feel that’s a good pace.”

It’s not only the fifth-generation fighters that are subject to this succession of rolling upgrades. Maj. Matthew “Juice” Russel confirmed that the F-15E Strike Eagle is now engaged in what’s known as Continuous Development and Improvement [CD&I], which should mirror the iterative software processes being seen on the F-35 and F-22. “The aim is to produce new OFPs that get updated as fast as possible — think of smartphone-type software updates.” He also commented that the capabilities afforded by the F-15E’s new Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) “let us get a bit closer to the high-end fight and use weapons such as the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb and AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile [JASSM].”

The 422nd TES shares F-15E airframes with the co-located USAF Weapons School. Jamie Hunter

Bringing all of these lines of improvement into a technological melting pot is what Exercise Black Flag is all about. “Efforts in the test world feed heavily into Black Flag,” comments Lt. Col. Golden. “One of the main focuses is to bring together the disparate lines of effort in the 53rd Wing into a focused event.”

One of the primary efforts in the latest Black Flag exercise held in May out of Nellis was addressing automated long-range kill chains and how to ensure the technologies that support them are operationally ready and relevant. In January, at the annual Combat Air Force [CAF] Weapons and Tactics Conference (WEPTAC) held at Nellis, the 422nd TES presented Watch box and Tactical Radio Application extension, or Trax, two data translation and routing tools that significantly speed up the data transfer from sensor to shooter.

“In the latest Black Flag, we generally looked at long-range threats,” commented Maj. Theodore, “CINC” Ellis. The 53rd Wing used automated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) reporting, automated intelligence collecting, and various means of sending data using automation, essentially removing the need to have a human in the loop on the decision-making side. “This approach removes delays and human error using Watchbox and Trax. There’s a human in the loop, but just watching and monitoring the system. The system is smartly allocating assets and weapons to target sets.”

One from a flight of four F-35As prepares to taxi out at Nellis. Jamie Hunter

“A single intelligence hit in a database during our Weapons School Integration phase normally could take 25 to 30 minutes before it is passed to a shooter on Link 16,” commented Maj. Ridge Flick. “Now we’ve shortened the timeline through automated means to anywhere from 40 seconds to four minutes, and removed the errors associated with humans transposing information from one system to another.”

Black Flag in May was used to test automated intelligence reporting using Watchbox and automatically disseminated the reporting to six separate ground nodes and two Link 16 networks using Trax. The testing proved combining machine-to-machine communication and automated intelligence reporting enables significantly shorter kill chains.

From integrating and testing the latest AIM-260 air-to-air missile on the F-22, to rolling software upgrades, integrating assets as cohesive warfighting teams, and evaluating them all in realistic large-force exercises, the 422nd TES really is the heartbeat of the leading edge of the Air Force. Its location at Nellis ensures it neatly feeds into the training at the Weapons School, makes use of the USAF’s most advanced threat-replication systems, and the wealth of other pioneering entities that make Nellis such an important venue for the modern U.S. Air Force.

Source.

 

[Path-Finder]

The Only Man Who Flew Both The F-22 And The YF-23 On Why The YF-23 Lost​

Test Pilot Paul Metz gives an in-depth brief on the YF-23 and the Advanced Tactical Fighter program, including his thoughts on why the F-22 won.

Paul Metz was the first pilot to fly the YF-23 and the F-22A. He worked as top test pilot for Northrop and Lockheed. Photo by USAF

In what may be my favorite installment in The War Zone ’s ongoing series on Northrop's YF-23 Black Widow, we hear directly from famed test pilot Paul Metz. Metz started his career as an F-105G Wild Weasel pilot in Vietnam and went on to become one of America's preeminent test pilots. He flew Northrop's YF-23 on its first flight during the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition that pitted the jet against Lockheed's YF-22 and also went on to do the same for the F-22A. In the video below, he describes what the ATF program was like from the inside and just how good the YF-23 actually was. In addition, we get extra color on the accelerated flight test program Northrop executed for the competition from test pilot Jim Sandburg. Their testimony combined gives us an unprecedented look into the YF-23 program and paints a clear picture that YF-23 was indeed equal if not superior to its competition.

YF-23 and YF-22 side-by-side during the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition flight demonstration phase. Photo by USAF
The lecture was put on at the Western Museum Of Flight—where one of the YF-23 is on display—to a seniors group. This gem of historical reference has been largely overlooked even as the YF-23 has risen to near legendary status, becoming one of the most enigmatic and fascinating modern aircraft in history. What's so important to underline is that Metz worked for both Northrop and Lockheed and is not known for hyperbole. Yet even after flying the pre-production F-22, a far more mature machine than the YF-23 ever was, he makes it quite clear that Northrop's offering was on par with Lockheed's, if not superior.

The hardest hitting quote comes at the end of the lecture by the two test pilots, where Metz states:

"Never hang your head in shame about what we did. We built a tremendous product that would stand side-by-side with anything else, and in many cases exceed the capabilities of anything else. And we can always be proud of that."

Sandberg and Metz also note that both aircraft met the ATF requirements and that Lockheed was chosen because the Air Force had greater confidence they could better manage the program.

Metz makes another incredibly valuable point about how Lockheed knew how to present and market their airframe far better than Northrop did. He notes that not everyone who would be in a position to select a fighter aircraft would be an engineer and that they may not even be technically astute. So leaving 'lasting impressions' on a conceptual level, even if they don't tell the whole story technically, can give one side an advantage over the other.

Northrop's team was made up of brilliant engineers—Metz says they were beyond compare—but they thought and spoke almost exclusively in engineering terms. Meanwhile, Lockheed infused far more marketing, salesmanship, and pizazz—'lasting impressions' as Metz eloquently puts it—into their YF-22 flight demonstration program. They fundamentally understood how to sell their aircraft and how 'showmanship' heavily impacts the acquisition decision-making process. Northrop didn't and that fact may have proven fatal for the YF-23.

There is so much else in this video of importance to the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition story. Sandburg talks about how the YF-23's massive tailerons were so powerful that they largely mitigated the perceived advantages of the YF-22's thrust vectoring. There are many other details about the genesis of the ATF program overall, in-flight emergencies during the flight demonstration phase, how the YF-23's radar cross-section helped influence its unofficial Black Widow moniker, and even how that famous picture of the B-2 landing with the YF-23 in the foreground came to be.

The Only Man Who Flew Both The F-22 And The YF-23 On Why The YF-23 Lost

Test Pilot Paul Metz gives an in-depth brief on the YF-23 and the Advanced Tactical Fighter program, including his thoughts on why the F-22 won.

getpocket.com

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[Gomig-21]

This used to be the biggest point of contention by the anti-F-35 crowd out there in that it would be a very poor dogfighter because of how it's designed to be fat & stubby and carry a lot of fuel etc. and would not be a nimble dogfighter since it's computer & sensor fusion tech would be unmatched and give its pilots the better advantage from greater BVR distances. But they made sure they gave it a gun, just in case!

 

[Gomig-21]

US Air Force flies 'loyal wingman' stealth drone entirely under AI control​

Story by Douglas Patient •11h

The US Air Force has launched a breakthrough stealth drone which flies fully under AI control.

It flew its "loyal wingman" stealth drone pilotless for three hours and demonstrated the first-ever flight of AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) - developed, machine-learning trained, artificial intelligence algorithms on an XQ-58A Valkyrie.

It is designed to accomplish tasks such as scouting, defensive fire, or even absorbing enemy fire to keep human-piloted jets safe.

The flight, part of the so-called Skyborg program, took place at the Eglin Test and Training Complex in Florida on July 25, but was announced this week.

Col. Tucker Hamilton, chief of AI Test and Operations for the Department of the Air Force, explained the Valkyrie had to solve a problem during the test

He said: "The mission proved out a multi-layer safety framework on an AI/ML-flown uncrewed aircraft and demonstrated an AI/ML agent solving a tactically relevant 'challenge problem' during airborne operations.

"This sortie officially enables the ability to develop AI/ML agents that will execute modern air-to-air and air-to-surface skills that are immediately transferrable to other autonomy programs."

AI/ML refers to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

The algorithms were developed by AFRL’s Autonomous Air Combat Operations team, who say the algorithms matured during millions of hours in high fidelity simulation events, sorties on the X-62 VISTA (experimental aircraft), Hardware-in-the-Loop events with the XQ-58A, and ground test operations.

The US Department of Defense (DOD) stated they are committed to the responsible employment of AI, adding: "To achieve responsible use of AI requires teaming of developers and users of AI enabled autonomy working in collaboration with acquisition specialists."

“AI will be a critical element to future warfighting and the speed at which we’re going to have to understand the operational picture and make decisions,” said Brig. Gen. Scott Cain, AFRL commander.

“AI, Autonomous Operations, and Human-Machine Teaming continue to evolve at an unprecedented pace and we need the coordinated efforts of our government, academia, and industry partners to keep pace.”

The Skyborg project is a United States Air Force Vanguard program developing unmanned combat aerial vehicles intended to accompany a manned fighter aircraft.

Source:

 

[Gomig-21]

The F-22 is definitely as good as the Su-35S & the Su-30MS in slow, aerobatic maneuvers. Maybe even better in some with just the 2-dimensional thrust vectoring. If this thing had all-aspect TV, it would be hard to believe it could perform more flawlessly at slow speeds than it is in this clip.

Watch the FBW motions of the moving surfaces; H-stabs in particular; flaps, ailerons and even rudders, all controlled by the onboard computer. Is there room for even more improvement on that software with AI?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1707112929739395157

Impossible to match this thing in a dogfight.

 

[Gomig-21]

Some rare fire-tossing by a Raptor while slow-looping.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1708519752908378363