F-22: positive trends and unhappy perspectives
Not so long ago, the last serial fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, rolled off the assembly line of an aircraft factory in Marietta. Prior to this event, there were many years of research and design, testing, financial problems and, most importantly, disputes over the prospects and feasibility of the project. As a result, supporters of the F-22 won, although they “suffered losses” - less than two hundred aircraft were made instead of the originally planned 750. Another point that is often used as an argument against the project is its combat use. The fact is that "Raptor" added to the list of those few American aircraft that did not have time to take part in hostilities before the termination of its production. Almost all of his predecessors went to war for several years after the start of production, but F-22 itself failed to do this.
Nevertheless, the F-22 fighter can not be called completely hopeless and hopeless. Thanks to the development of the aircraft in the army, it was possible to improve to some extent a number of parameters. Thus, at the beginning of operation, servicing of machines required about 20 man-hours per flight hour. Now this parameter is very close to 12. Similarly, the cost of the flight hour has fallen - now it is in the 19-20 area of thousands of dollars. It is possible that within a year or two this parameter will equal the cost of the flight hour of the F-15 fighter (about 17 thousand). Finally, last year, the readiness of the F-22 aircraft ranged around 70%. As for the other fighters, their readiness rarely exceeds 65%. Perhaps this is due to particularly close attention to the new fighter. However, the reduction in operating costs can be perceived, among other things, as a hint at the achievement of one of the goals of the program - cheaper maintenance, repair and other ground works.
A few days ago, the list of problems F-22 added a new item. It became known that several pilots who had been entrusted with a new technique were not at all pleased with this fact. According to them, the fighter’s oxygen system has a lot of problems that can lead to any consequences, including catastrophic ones. It should be noted that the problems of the air regenerator are being pursued by the Raptor not for the first and second years. No less regularly appear the proposals to remove this new equipment and replace it with a good old oxygen bottle. There are supporters among the military too, but there is no consensus at the Pentagon. The fact is that with repeated refueling in flight, the only limitations in flight range are the physical capabilities of the pilot and the resource of the aircraft’s breathing system. If instead of an oxygen cylinder of limited capacity, an oxygen regenerator is installed, then the range will be limited only by the pilot's capabilities. However, the regenerative system is still quite raw. In recent years and the time of serial operation of the F-22 fighter, there have been almost no positive changes in its attitude. Of course, a modern regenerative system is a head or two taller than that made at the end of 80's, but its operational characteristics have not yet reached an acceptable value.
The relatively high cost of a specific F-22 type aircraft and, as a result, a relatively small amount of production combined with the problems of another fighter of a new generation - the F-35 Lightning II - can put USAF in a very uncomfortable position in the very near future. Initially, the F-22 was created as a successor to the F-15: a heavy fighter with excellent onboard equipment and weapons. The F-35, in turn, was conceived by the F-16 changer, a lightweight and cheap fighter with less good characteristics. Now it turns out that the heavy “fancy” aircraft already exists (although it has a number of problems), and the light and cheap is not, in the first place, ready to be put into service, and secondly, it cannot be called cheap. It can be assumed that in numerical terms F-35 will repeat the fate of Raptor and also will not become a mass product. Even the timely delivery of the F-35 to the full-fledged series does not guarantee the absence of some “failure” in the supply of new equipment. In addition, do not forget about the next modification of the old technology - F-16V. This upgrade option for the old F-16 is much cheaper than building new cars.
Finally, the fact that developing countries increasingly prefer to buy Russian Su-made planes is a matter of some concern for the fate of the new American fighter jets from the US military and experts from around the world. In a number of competitions, the exported American equipment has already lost, but something completely new in the face of F-35 is not yet ready. F-22, in turn, is generally not offered for sale abroad, although there is reason to expect this in a few years. But the production of aircraft for sales to third countries could help reduce the cost of fighters produced for themselves. But the Pentagon is in no hurry to give permission for the sale of F-22. According to various estimates, the conclusion of contracts for the supply of "Raptor", if it takes place, will not happen before 2015 of the year. This means that the American F-22 by then will step on the heels of FGFA - the export version of the Russian T-50, jointly developed by Russia and India.
And yet, the F-22 has the opportunity to prove himself in business and prove his worth to opponents. Recently, there were reports of the transfer of several "Raptor" from the United States to the United Arab Emirates. The detailed reasons for this, as always, are not in a hurry to publish the command of the American Air Force. As a result, many speculations appeared, and a considerable part of them concerned a hypothetical war with Iran. Several arguments are presented in favor of this version, but the opinion of expert I. Kramnik seems to be the most plausible. He believes that in the event of a conflict, the F-22s will be sent to do what they were created for. Even before the Islamic revolution, Iran managed to get dozens of American F-14 fighters. Despite their considerable age, these machines can still cause problems for the American aviation, especially F-15 or F-16 aircraft. These fighters over the past seventies managed to go through several upgrades, which, however, may not have the proper consequences in a real battle. Therefore, the United States has every reason to fear the 25-30 available to Iran F-14. In its combat characteristics, the Raptor is significantly superior to the Iranian F-14. But the main thing you should pay attention to is his ability to detect targets. F-22 can detect and attack Iranian fighters before they can respond. So the F-22 is "at risk" to finally take up its direct responsibilities.
Modern war is characterized by the absence of complete superiority of one side over the other. Therefore, a certain number of "Raptors" will undoubtedly suffer to some extent. Judging by the available data, damages already moderate for a number of technological reasons in most cases will require repair in the factory. This is not the good side of the plane. At the same time, as if preparing for the upcoming repairs, the assembly line "Raptors" was preserved at the Lockheed Martin factory. Another version concerning the preservation of the line concerns the possible order of a new batch of these aircraft. The fact is that the existing 187 serial drilling machines can not cover all the needs of USAF. About five hundred F-15 fighters of various modifications are currently in service. And even with the boldest assumptions, such a number of them cannot be completely replaced by two hundred Raptors. In addition, the upgrading potential of the F-15 is already coming to an end, and there is almost no benefit from continuing improvements.
F-22 Raptor fighter from the very beginning had very high hopes. For reasons beyond his control, this aircraft could not meet all expectations, for which it was almost immediately subjected to harsh criticism. However, childhood diseases of the machine are almost completely eliminated, operational performance is constantly improving, and its first war looms on the horizon. Nevertheless, the positive trends in the fate of "Raptor" are unlikely to be able to convince the haters of the project and force them to change their opinion. Responsible persons of the Pentagon in such conditions can only analyze the data, build forecasts and decide what the US Air Force needs, for what and in what quantity.
Information sources:
http://www.af.mil/
http://rus.ruvr.ru/
http://www.f22-raptor.com/
Nevertheless, the F-22 fighter can not be called completely hopeless and hopeless. Thanks to the development of the aircraft in the army, it was possible to improve to some extent a number of parameters. Thus, at the beginning of operation, servicing of machines required about 20 man-hours per flight hour. Now this parameter is very close to 12. Similarly, the cost of the flight hour has fallen - now it is in the 19-20 area of thousands of dollars. It is possible that within a year or two this parameter will equal the cost of the flight hour of the F-15 fighter (about 17 thousand). Finally, last year, the readiness of the F-22 aircraft ranged around 70%. As for the other fighters, their readiness rarely exceeds 65%. Perhaps this is due to particularly close attention to the new fighter. However, the reduction in operating costs can be perceived, among other things, as a hint at the achievement of one of the goals of the program - cheaper maintenance, repair and other ground works.
A few days ago, the list of problems F-22 added a new item. It became known that several pilots who had been entrusted with a new technique were not at all pleased with this fact. According to them, the fighter’s oxygen system has a lot of problems that can lead to any consequences, including catastrophic ones. It should be noted that the problems of the air regenerator are being pursued by the Raptor not for the first and second years. No less regularly appear the proposals to remove this new equipment and replace it with a good old oxygen bottle. There are supporters among the military too, but there is no consensus at the Pentagon. The fact is that with repeated refueling in flight, the only limitations in flight range are the physical capabilities of the pilot and the resource of the aircraft’s breathing system. If instead of an oxygen cylinder of limited capacity, an oxygen regenerator is installed, then the range will be limited only by the pilot's capabilities. However, the regenerative system is still quite raw. In recent years and the time of serial operation of the F-22 fighter, there have been almost no positive changes in its attitude. Of course, a modern regenerative system is a head or two taller than that made at the end of 80's, but its operational characteristics have not yet reached an acceptable value.
The relatively high cost of a specific F-22 type aircraft and, as a result, a relatively small amount of production combined with the problems of another fighter of a new generation - the F-35 Lightning II - can put USAF in a very uncomfortable position in the very near future. Initially, the F-22 was created as a successor to the F-15: a heavy fighter with excellent onboard equipment and weapons. The F-35, in turn, was conceived by the F-16 changer, a lightweight and cheap fighter with less good characteristics. Now it turns out that the heavy “fancy” aircraft already exists (although it has a number of problems), and the light and cheap is not, in the first place, ready to be put into service, and secondly, it cannot be called cheap. It can be assumed that in numerical terms F-35 will repeat the fate of Raptor and also will not become a mass product. Even the timely delivery of the F-35 to the full-fledged series does not guarantee the absence of some “failure” in the supply of new equipment. In addition, do not forget about the next modification of the old technology - F-16V. This upgrade option for the old F-16 is much cheaper than building new cars.
Finally, the fact that developing countries increasingly prefer to buy Russian Su-made planes is a matter of some concern for the fate of the new American fighter jets from the US military and experts from around the world. In a number of competitions, the exported American equipment has already lost, but something completely new in the face of F-35 is not yet ready. F-22, in turn, is generally not offered for sale abroad, although there is reason to expect this in a few years. But the production of aircraft for sales to third countries could help reduce the cost of fighters produced for themselves. But the Pentagon is in no hurry to give permission for the sale of F-22. According to various estimates, the conclusion of contracts for the supply of "Raptor", if it takes place, will not happen before 2015 of the year. This means that the American F-22 by then will step on the heels of FGFA - the export version of the Russian T-50, jointly developed by Russia and India.
And yet, the F-22 has the opportunity to prove himself in business and prove his worth to opponents. Recently, there were reports of the transfer of several "Raptor" from the United States to the United Arab Emirates. The detailed reasons for this, as always, are not in a hurry to publish the command of the American Air Force. As a result, many speculations appeared, and a considerable part of them concerned a hypothetical war with Iran. Several arguments are presented in favor of this version, but the opinion of expert I. Kramnik seems to be the most plausible. He believes that in the event of a conflict, the F-22s will be sent to do what they were created for. Even before the Islamic revolution, Iran managed to get dozens of American F-14 fighters. Despite their considerable age, these machines can still cause problems for the American aviation, especially F-15 or F-16 aircraft. These fighters over the past seventies managed to go through several upgrades, which, however, may not have the proper consequences in a real battle. Therefore, the United States has every reason to fear the 25-30 available to Iran F-14. In its combat characteristics, the Raptor is significantly superior to the Iranian F-14. But the main thing you should pay attention to is his ability to detect targets. F-22 can detect and attack Iranian fighters before they can respond. So the F-22 is "at risk" to finally take up its direct responsibilities.
Modern war is characterized by the absence of complete superiority of one side over the other. Therefore, a certain number of "Raptors" will undoubtedly suffer to some extent. Judging by the available data, damages already moderate for a number of technological reasons in most cases will require repair in the factory. This is not the good side of the plane. At the same time, as if preparing for the upcoming repairs, the assembly line "Raptors" was preserved at the Lockheed Martin factory. Another version concerning the preservation of the line concerns the possible order of a new batch of these aircraft. The fact is that the existing 187 serial drilling machines can not cover all the needs of USAF. About five hundred F-15 fighters of various modifications are currently in service. And even with the boldest assumptions, such a number of them cannot be completely replaced by two hundred Raptors. In addition, the upgrading potential of the F-15 is already coming to an end, and there is almost no benefit from continuing improvements.
F-22 Raptor fighter from the very beginning had very high hopes. For reasons beyond his control, this aircraft could not meet all expectations, for which it was almost immediately subjected to harsh criticism. However, childhood diseases of the machine are almost completely eliminated, operational performance is constantly improving, and its first war looms on the horizon. Nevertheless, the positive trends in the fate of "Raptor" are unlikely to be able to convince the haters of the project and force them to change their opinion. Responsible persons of the Pentagon in such conditions can only analyze the data, build forecasts and decide what the US Air Force needs, for what and in what quantity.
Information sources:
http://www.af.mil/
http://rus.ruvr.ru/
http://www.f22-raptor.com/
Information