Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

View: https://twitter.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1503394768700682242?s=20&t=tTiravXYI8V1goMNsMuMfA


A pretty weathered F-22. I’m not sure if I’ve seen this much weathering of the skin in previous F-22 deployments to the Middle East.

More here:

379th AEW Airmen support OAS II

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot assigned to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing departs from a KC-135 Stratotanker over Southwest Asia, March 9, 2022. The F-22 Raptors participated in Operation Agile Spartan II and conducted Agile Combat Employment concepts throughout the U.S. Central Command...
www.dvidshub.net
 
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icyplanetnhc (Steve) said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1503394768700682242
View: https://twitter.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1503394768700682242?s=20&t=tTiravXYI8V1goMNsMuMfA


A pretty weathered F-22. I’m not sure if I’ve seen this much weathering of the skin in previous F-22 deployments to the Middle East.

More here:

379th AEW Airmen support OAS II

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot assigned to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing departs from a KC-135 Stratotanker over Southwest Asia, March 9, 2022. The F-22 Raptors participated in Operation Agile Spartan II and conducted Agile Combat Employment concepts throughout the U.S. Central Command...
www.dvidshub.net
Click to expand...

I wonder why the USAF has let the F-22 skin get so weathered like that, I thought that to maintain the stealth capability the F-22 would have to go through regular repainting and maintenance.
 
FighterJock said:
icyplanetnhc (Steve) said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1503394768700682242
View: https://twitter.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1503394768700682242?s=20&t=tTiravXYI8V1goMNsMuMfA


A pretty weathered F-22. I’m not sure if I’ve seen this much weathering of the skin in previous F-22 deployments to the Middle East.

More here:

379th AEW Airmen support OAS II

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot assigned to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing departs from a KC-135 Stratotanker over Southwest Asia, March 9, 2022. The F-22 Raptors participated in Operation Agile Spartan II and conducted Agile Combat Employment concepts throughout the U.S. Central Command...
www.dvidshub.net
Click to expand...

I wonder why the USAF has let the F-22 skin get so weathered like that, I thought that to maintain the stealth capability the F-22 would have to go through regular repainting and maintenance.
Click to expand...
Thats probably why.

Its on a Deployment where being stealthy does matter.

So why waste the money and time to do the reskin?

And not to mention that this hides the Raptors true stealth far better.

Through with what happening in Europe I imagine that all stealth birds are scheduled for skin maintenance pretty damn soon.
 
I wonder if the surface is very rough and allows sand particles to work their way into the outer surface which makes it very difficult to remove. If it doesn't affect RCS I guess it doesn't matter. That being said I'd be surprised if it doesn't affect it.
 
It's probably not worth the effort to maintain when the only local opposition is the Iranian air force with 3rd gen fighters. I also wouldn't be surprised if the local bases lacked the facilities to re-apply the coatings; I don't think F-22 deployments to the mid east are very typical.
 
BDF said:
I wonder if the surface is very rough and allows sand particles to work their way into the outer surface which makes it very difficult to remove. If it doesn't affect RCS I guess it doesn't matter. That being said I'd be surprised if it doesn't affect it.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind there was an official photo pretty recently of a Mud Hen with a similarly rough appearance. Were there a bunch of sandstorms over there recently and no wash rack? Some of the sand over there is more talcum powder than what most Americans think of as sand so it could cake on... That said, doing my best here not to go full CDR Salamander on the maintenance troops about their jet's appearance.
 
Sahara's sands lifting and airborne transportation has been noticed all over the region (and Europe). That one might just have flown through.

See below how Syria is especially affected:

ifs_aod_an_animation_20220114_20220214_europe.gif



CAMS accurately forecasts first Saharan dust transports of 2022 | Copernicus

Mid-to late-January saw the year’s first Calimas - dust storms in the Canary Islands region originating in the Sahara Desert. These were accompanied by Saharan dust transport events across the Canary Islands towards the North Atlantic. CAMS has been accurately forecasting the movement of the...
atmosphere.copernicus.eu
 
FighterJock said:
icyplanetnhc (Steve) said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1503394768700682242
View: https://twitter.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1503394768700682242?s=20&t=tTiravXYI8V1goMNsMuMfA


A pretty weathered F-22. I’m not sure if I’ve seen this much weathering of the skin in previous F-22 deployments to the Middle East.

More here:

379th AEW Airmen support OAS II

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot assigned to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing departs from a KC-135 Stratotanker over Southwest Asia, March 9, 2022. The F-22 Raptors participated in Operation Agile Spartan II and conducted Agile Combat Employment concepts throughout the U.S. Central Command...
www.dvidshub.net
Click to expand...

I wonder why the USAF has let the F-22 skin get so weathered like that, I thought that to maintain the stealth capability the F-22 would have to go through regular repainting and maintenance.
Click to expand...

RAM and skin treatment is only a small part of RCS reduction measure but is very expensive for the Raptor. Maybe the Air Force doesn’t think that there is any bogey aircraft that could threaten the Raptor in the Middle East or the mission profile doesn’t require VLO.
 
Josh_TN said:
bobbymike said:
Josh_TN said:
bobbymike said:
Another reason why we should have built all 700 F-22s.
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To make sure we could whack F-4s?!?
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The entire rest of the world flies F-4s?
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No, but that's the competition in the Mid East. As for the rest of the world, presumably you mean China, in which case I think the current F-22 force is more than ample enough to fill up every US air base in the West Pac.
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China, Russia, Iran, North Korea etc.

You really believe the current F-22 force is adequate? Okee dokee
 
I think it is when combined with all of the other fighters in inventory, yes.
 
Forest Green said:
Josh_TN said:
I think it is when combined with all of the other fighters in inventory, yes.
Click to expand...
The other jets are far more vulnerable to attrition though, except the F-35s maybe.
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I don't think Iran or Bestest Korea will ever be attriting anything. The VKS is failing to impress so far as well.

There's no shortage of F-35's; I think USAF alone has almost 300 and it hasn't even officially entered full rate production. It only carriers four missiles, but soon there will be enough in inventory there will be one for each of the Su-30/34/35, MiG-31BMs.

I don't think the relatively small size of the F-22 force is a major hang up.
 
Josh_TN said:
Forest Green said:
Josh_TN said:
I think it is when combined with all of the other fighters in inventory, yes.
Click to expand...
The other jets are far more vulnerable to attrition though, except the F-35s maybe.
Click to expand...
I don't think Iran or Bestest Korea will ever be attriting anything. The VKS is failing to impress so far as well.

There's no shortage of F-35's; I think USAF alone has almost 300 and it hasn't even officially entered full rate production. It only carriers four missiles, but soon there will be enough in inventory there will be one for each of the Su-30/34/35, MiG-31BMs.

I don't think the relatively small size of the F-22 force is a major hang up.
Click to expand...
The reason F-22 fleet has such abysmal combat readiness rate (~50%) is largely a symptom of the radical procurement number cuts. Had politicians not cut the already lowered requirement for the service from 381, Raptor fleet would have been in a better shape with a greater impact in the battlespace.
 
zebra159357 said:
The reason F-22 fleet has such abysmal combat readiness rate (~50%) is largely a symptom of the radical procurement number cuts. Had politicians not cut the already lowered requirement for the service from 381, Raptor fleet would have been in a better shape with a greater impact in the battlespace.
Click to expand...
High demand low density is always hard on a fleet, as is a curtailed production. That said, it would be interesting to know how much of the MC rate is accounted for by NMC flyable jets. Back when I still wore a flight suit one of the Raptor maintainers kindly took me around the jet and showed me a number of things that made it NMC but still flyable, mind you not the kind of thing to discuss in public, food for thought though...
 
I’m a big fan of the Raptor but I think there is at the very least circumstantial indications that, somewhat like - but perhaps not quite to the same level as - the B-2, there are factors inherent to the F-22 (how it was built/ what it was built of) that make lower than average readiness rates all but inevitable, almost no matter procurement numbers etc.
And that decisions like curtailing production numbers and focusing more on the F-35 were made with this as part of the context (though I would have still favoured a top-up buy of 40-80 additional aircraft before they ended production of the F-22).
 
mkellytx said:
zebra159357 said:
The reason F-22 fleet has such abysmal combat readiness rate (~50%) is largely a symptom of the radical procurement number cuts. Had politicians not cut the already lowered requirement for the service from 381, Raptor fleet would have been in a better shape with a greater impact in the battlespace.
Click to expand...
High demand low density is always hard on a fleet, as is a curtailed production. That said, it would be interesting to know how much of the MC rate is accounted for by NMC flyable jets. Back when I still wore a flight suit one of the Raptor maintainers kindly took me around the jet and showed me a number of things that made it NMC but still flyable, mind you not the kind of thing to discuss in public, food for thought though...
Click to expand...
OF course those type of deals are...

Well one of those thing that in theory the Jet can still fly and fight but well...

*Gestures at the current shitshow*

That is how Russia does thing and it worked out SO WELL for them...

OFten times when the US Military Says that this makes the gear Non Mission Capable and the broke piece is a similarly minor deal.

It often a Want of a Nail deal in effect.

Like US Army make sure all active duty trucks get 10 miles of travel a Month, that so the Tires dont dry rot and break up once we use them off road. And Dry Rotted Tires is a mission deadline deal. You think it was a joke, but when you have to deal with a tire shredded itself in mud...

You realize there is a method to the madness.
 

There's Now A Second 'Chrome' F-22 Raptor Flying With Mirror-Like Coating At Nellis AFB

A second "Chrome" F-22 has been spotted at Nellis Air Force Base operating alongside other aircraft taking part in Red Flag exercise. As we have reported
theaviationist.com

These Amazing Photos Provide A Detailed Look At The Second 'Chrome' F-22 Raptor

Nicknamed "Disco" or "Symbiote" F-22, the new Raptor with a reflective coating has been one of the highlights for the photographers gathered outside
theaviationist.com
https://twitter.com/x/status/1505167323627405315
View: https://twitter.com/US_TRANSCOM/status/1505167323627405315
 
Another F-22 with mirror-like coatings.

Red Flag 22-2 - Max Bradley

Denver based aviation photographer and avgeek!
maxbradley.smugmug.com

If you have an Instagram:

Dave O'Brien on Instagram: "Was a great trip out to Red Flag, weather cooperated and gave us plenty of flexing. Great seeing everyone out here again. Till next time."

401 likes, 17 comments - top_gunphoto on March 17, 2022: "Was a great trip out to Red Flag, weather cooperated and gave us plenty of flexing. Great seeing everyone out here again. Till next time.".
www.instagram.com

Joshua Lapum on Instagram: "“” . . . #usaf #usairforce #airforce #nellisafb #f22 #f22raptor #raptor #raptornation #stealth #fighter #military #aviationphotography #aviation #aviationlovers #pilot #pilotlife #avgeek #aviationgeek #avporn #instagramavi

2,987 likes, 35 comments - joshualapumphotography on March 17, 2022: "“” . . . #usaf #usairforce #airforce #nellisafb #f22 #f22raptor #raptor #raptornation #stealth #fighter #military #aviationphotography #aviation #aviationlovers #pilot #pilotlife #avgeek #aviationgeek #avporn...
www.instagram.com
 

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sferrin said:
X-39 said:
Getting some ADAPTIV vibes here:
New-Chrome-F-22.jpg
_55163737_stealthtank,bae.jpg
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I'd still like to know what was going on here:

View attachment 675747
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What's going on is they're making the raptor even stealthier. The radar energy will penetrate and exponentially decay. This has nothing to to with ir as some speculate. They're doing some cool things with nano tech coatings these days
 
Another accident again?

F-22 involved in landing mishap at Eglin Air Force Base​


By
Defense Brief Editorial
March 22, 2022
A US Air Force F-22 Raptor from the 325th Fighter Wing experienced a mishap while landing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on March 22.


The US Air Force said the accident took place at around 10:25 a.m., adding that emergency crews responded immediately on the scene.


The pilot was transported to flight medicine for an evaluation, it was added. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the mishap is underway.


No further details on the accident have been release. It is worth noting that the mishap took place almost exactly a year after the emergency landing of another F-22 from the same wing at Eglin Air Force base on March 15.
Click to expand...

F-22 involved in landing mishap at Eglin Air Force Base

A US Air Force F-22 Raptor from the 325th Fighter Wing experienced a mishap while landing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on March 22. The US Air Force said the accident took place at around 10:25 a.m., adding that emergency crews responded immediately on the scene. The pilot was transport
defbrief.com
 

F-22 mishap

Pilot released from hospital in good condition.
www.eglin.af.mil

The 325th FW F-22s just can’t seem to catch a break. I’m starting to wonder if there is some institutional problem with the unit. Perhaps a safety stand down is necessary? What happened to the plans to move to Langley? It would seem like the issues highlighted here are still not resolved.

‘A perfect storm’: Airmen, F-22s struggle at Eglin nearly three years after Hurricane Michael

The 325th Fighter Wing may be nearing a breaking point as it approaches its third year in limbo after Hurricane Michael.
www.airforcetimes.com
 
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Not another F-22 accident? I do hope that the airframe can be fixed and returned to service, I would hate it if the USAF just put it on the scrap heap
 
Foo Fighter said:
How many did they lose in that storm? Total loss.
Click to expand...

No F-22s were lost from Hurricane Michael itself, but the logistical and personnel issues that it caused has lead to problems with conducting maintenance, which in turn has caused a spike in mishaps with the 325th FW in particular. This is now the second landing gear down incident in just a year...
 
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