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1.0
Introduction
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Here you can find all there is to know about the
F-22 Airframe. Some images may take a bit time to load in case you
are using a slow modem, but it is definitely worthwhile to wait.
Feel free to read some interviews
about the F/A-22 to learn more about the airframe from the people
with first hand experience.
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| 2.0
General specifications
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| Weight
empty |
14,365
kg |
31,670
lb |
| Max
take-off weight |
27,216
kg |
60,000
lb |
| Max
external stores |
2270
kg |
5000lb |
| Dimensions
Wing span |
13.56
m |
44
ft 6 in |
| Tail
Span |
5.74
m |
18
ft 10 in |
| Horizontal
tail span |
8.84
m |
29
ft |
| Wing
Area |
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840
sq feet |
| Length
overall |
18.90
m |
62
ft 08 in |
| Height
overall |
5.08
m |
16
ft 67 in |
| Track
width |
3.23
m |
10.60
ft |
| Engine
thrust class |
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35.000
lb |
| Performance
Supercruise |
Mach
1.58 |
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| Performance
Afterburning mode |
Mach
1.7 |
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| Max
level speed |
921
mph |
800
kts |
| Ceiling |
15,240
m |
50,000
ft |
| G
limit |
+9
G |
+9
G |
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3.0
Main fuselage components
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The F-22 fuselage is built in 4 major parts which
are manufactured by different companies. This image shows who is
doing what.
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Lockheed Martin in Marietta takes care of
constructing the Forward fuselage, the fins, flaps, ailerons and
front-end flaps and for mating the three major fuselage components
- Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth takes care
of building the Mid Fuselage. This is the largest and most complex
of the F-22 assemblies. It is approximately 17 feet long, 15 feet
wide, and six feet high and weighs about 8,500 pounds as shipped.
Most of the wiring and tubing for the aircraft subsystems is
integrated here.
- Boeing takes care of building the Aft
fuselage, main wings, power supplies, auxiliary power units,
auxiliary power generation systems, airframe-mounted accessory
drives and the fire-protection system.
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Boeing also takes care of the
aircraft's environmental control system and fuel,
electrical, hydraulic and engine subsystems.
A completed aft fuselage weighs 5,000 pounds and measures
19 feet long by 12 feet wide. The aft fuselage is 67
percent titanium, 22 percent aluminum and 11 percent
composite by weight.
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- Pratt & Whitney
delivers the 2 P-119 jet engines
that power the F-22.
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4.0
Inner Structure
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Most of the structural loads are absorbed by 5 titanium
bulkheads in the middle section of the F-22 (shown black here). The
largest one has a dimension of 16 ft by 6 feet, weighing 149 kg (329
lb).
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The welded booms of the aft fuselage are extremely
weight-efficient and reduce the use of traditional fasteners by
approximately 75 percent.
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5.0
Wings
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The wings of the F-22 are the so-called large area clipped
delta type, being efficient at high speed. The wings have large
leading edge flaps, which make the aircraft capable of also being
efficient at low speeds and to enable it to reach extreme Angles of
Attack (AOT) of over 60 degrees.
The F-22's wings, which function as fuel tanks, have undergone a
series of pressure tests to ensure they are leak proof. Boeing
applied several advanced manufacturing processes to build the wings,
which are made primarily of titanium and composites.
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5.1
Fins
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The fins are located at the back end of the plane and when
viewed from the side, the large fin blocks the heat radiation of the
aircrafts engine exhausts as well as any radar search scan.
The surfaces and edges are positioned on the F-22 in groups. The
horizontal aileron edges are aligned parallel with the main wings,
as well as the fins which are angled the same as the sloped body
sides of the plane )looked at from the front)
The vertical fins contain besides the steering rudders, several
antenna's and sensors, used by the avionics for target acquisition
as well as communications.
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5.2
Weapon bays
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The F-22 is armed with 6 AIM-120C missiles, or 2 GBU-30 1000
lb JDAM bombs in the ventral bays. These are located on the bottom
of the plane. 2 AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles are stored internally in
the sides of the air intake ducts. The weapons bays are covered by
doors, which are closed during normal flight. When an AIM-9 missile
is fired, the door opens, an ejection mechanism is positioning the
missiles outside the plane and the missiles is fired. The AIM-120C
missile just drops from the plane and ignites its rocket when it is
on a safe distance from the plane. After firing a missile, the doors
close again to preserve stealth.
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5.3
Landing Gear
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The landing gear is a Menasco retractable tricycle type,
stressed for no-flare landings of up to 3.05m/s downward speed. The
nosewheel tyre measures 23.5 x 7.5-10 and the 2 mainwheel tyres
measure 37 x 11.5-18.
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5.4
Air inlets
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The air intakes are located to the sides of the narrower part
of the fighter's nose. The inner tubes, where gas and liquid flow,
curves inward then upward, to cover the front part of the engine.
Looking at the F-22 from the front, the face of the engine is
completely invisible dramatically decreasing the chance of radar
detection.
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6.0
Production Technologies
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The F-22 program also heralds the first application of
titanium castings in the aircraft primary structure. Using an
advanced process that involves subjecting castings to intense heat
and pressure in an autoclave, the F-22 team was able to cast
multiple complex shapes as a single high-strength titanium
structure. The process avoids weight by eliminating mechanical
joints and reduces material costs and machining time.
The wings are the first to contain spars produced by resin-transfer
molding (RTM), an advanced process for manufacturing complex
composite parts that reduces cost and improves quality and
consistency. Also, the spars use a corrugated "sine-wave"
design that makes them stronger and lighter than the traditional
"I-beam" design.
The wings, along with the first F-22 rear fuselage, herald
industry's first use of an automated, laser-guided drilling machine.
Developed by Boeing, the system uses lasers with a targeting feature
and automated data feedback software to guide the drill exactly to
the correct location before drilling. It does so by measuring the
relative position of the drill to the structure and automatically
making positional adjustments. Holes are drilled to within .007-inch
tolerance of engineering specifications and their location, size and
depth are controlled by engineering data fed into a computer.
Operated by machinists, the system drills about 7,000 holes in each
wing. The holes are used for wing-skin, fairing and door
attachments.
Laser-guided precision drilling eliminates expensive tooling,
ensures quality and eliminates the costly rework associated with
manual drilling.
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Data courtesy of Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney and
various public internet sources. F-22 exploded view Artwork courtesy
of Mike Badrocke, |
