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The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a
single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation supermaneuverable fighter
aircraft tthat uses stealth technology. It was designed primarily as
an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities that
include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals
intelligence roles. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is the prime contractor
and is responsible for the majority of the airframe, weapon systems and
final assembly of the F-22. Program partner Boeing Defense, Space &
Security provides the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and
training systems.
The aircraft was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 during the years prior to formally entering USAF service in December 2005 as the F-22A.
Despite a protracted and costly development period, the United States
Air Force considers the F-22 a critical component of U.S. tactical air
power, and claims that the aircraft is unmatched by any known or
projected fighter, while
Lockheed Martin claims that the Raptor's combination of stealth, speed,
agility, precision and situational awareness, combined with air-to-air
and air-to-ground combat capabilities, makes it the best overall fighter
in the world today. Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, former Chief of the Australian Defence Force, said in 2004 that the "F-22 will be the most outstanding fighter plane ever built.
The high cost of the aircraft, a lack of clear air-to-air combat
missions because of delays in the Russian and Chinese fifth-generation
fighter programs, a U.S. ban on Raptor exports, and the ongoing
development of the planned cheaper and more versatile F-35 resulted in
calls to end F-22 production. In April 2009, the US Department of
Defense proposed to cease placing new orders, subject to Congressional
approval, for a final procurement tally of 187 operational
aircraft. TheNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2010 lacked funding for further F-22 production. The final F-22 rolled
off the assembly line on 13 December 2011 during a ceremony at Dobbins
Air Reserve Base.
Since
2010 the F-22 has been plagued by unresolved problems with its pilot
oxygen systems which contributed to one crash and death of a pilot. The
fleet was grounded for four months in 2011. The Raptor fleet has resumed
flight operations, although problems with the oxygen systems have
continued to be reported. On
24 July 2012, the United States Air Force announced that the hypoxia
like symptoms were being caused by faulty valve in the pilots' pressure
vest that caused it to inflate and remain inflated, triggering breathing
problems. The Air Force is replacing the valve and increasing the
volume of air flowing to the pilots by removing a filter that was
installed to check for contaminants in the system. |
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The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat,
single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to
perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions
with stealth capability. The F-35 has three main models; the F-35A is
a conventional takeoff and landing variant, the F-35B is a short take
off and vertical-landing variant, and the F-35C is
a carrier-based variant.
The F-35 is descended from the X-35, the product of the Joint Strike
Fighter (JSF) program. JSF development is being principally funded by
the United States, with the United Kingdom and other partner governments
providing additional funding. The partner nations are either NATO
members or close U.S. allies. It is being designed and built by an
aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin. The F-35 carried out
its first flight on 15 December 2006.
The United States plans to buy a total of 2,443 aircraft to provide the bulk of its tactical airpower for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy over the coming decades. The United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Norway,Denmark, Turkey, Israel and Japan are part of the development program and may equip their air services with the F-35. |
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The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine,
all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and
maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the
most successful modern fighters, with over 100 aerial combat victories
with no losses in dogfights. Following reviews of proposals, the United
States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas' design in 1967 to meet the
service's need for a dedicated air superiority fighter. The Eagle first
flew in July 1972, and entered service in 1976.
Since the 1970s, the Eagle has also been exported to Israel, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Despite originally being envisioned as a pure air superiority aircraft, the design proved flexible enough that an all-weather strike derivative, the F-15E Strike Eagle,
was later developed, and entered service in 1989. The F-15 Eagle is
expected to be in service with the U.S. Air Force past 2025. |
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The Sukhoi Su-35 (Russian: Сухой Су-35, NATO reporting name: Flanker-E)
is a single-seat, twin-engined superm aneuverable multirole fighter. It
is a derivative of the Su-27 'Flanker', and was initially known as the Su-27M.
More than a dozen of these were built with some used by the Russian
Knights aerobatic demonstration team. The Su-35 had been offered to many
countries, including India, Brazil and South Korea.
In
the 1980s, Sukhoi was looking to upgrade its high-performance Su-27.
The resultant Su-35 embodies aerodynamic refinements to give it more
manoeuvrability, greatly enhanced avionics, longer range, and a more powerful engine. The first prototype, converted from a production Su-27, made its maiden flight in June 1988. The Su-35 was further developed into the Su-37, which has thrust-vectoring capabilities,
and the Su-35BM, classified as 4++ generation fighter by its
manufacturer. The new model entered into serial production as the Su-35S for the Russian Air Force in 2010. |
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The Mikoyan MiG-35 (Russian: Микоян МиГ-35, NATO reporting name: Fulcrum-F)
is a further development of the MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-29K/KUB technology.
It is classified as a 4++ generation jet fighter by Mikoyan. The
first prototype was a modification of the aircraft that previously
served as MiG-29M2 model demonstrator. 10 prototypes have been built so
far and are currently subject to extensive field trials. The
MiG-35 is now classed as a medium-weight aircraft because its maximum
take-off weight has increased by 30 percent, exceeding its previous
criteria of classification.
MiG Corporation first officially presented the MiG-35 internationally during the Aero India 2007 air show. The
MiG-35 was officially unveiled when the Russian Minister of Defence,
Sergey Ivanov, visited Lukhovitsky Machine Building Plant "MAPO-MIG". The
single seat version is designated MiG-35 and the two-seat version is
MiG-35D. The fighter has vastly improved avionics and weapon systems,
notably the new AESA radar and the uniquely designed Optical Locator System (OLS), relieves the aircraft from relying on ground-controlled interception (GCI) systems and enables it to conduct independent multi-role missions. |
