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Following from:
Raptor Informative
Site (Off line)
The new F-22 cockpit promises to
redefine the standard of the way fighter aircraft cockpits are supposed to
look. It will be designed to let the pilot act as a tactician, as opposed
to a simple sensor operator. Pilots of the F-22 will do what humans
execute flawlessly, think. The pilot will totally utilize the computer
power of the F-22. A few distinct improvements worth mentioning are:
- The first baseline (NVG) Night Vision Goggle
compatible cockpit
- Traditional analog/ standby dials and gauges,
are absent. The F-22 will have the first all modern glass cockpit in a
tactical fighter.
- Canopy is the made of the largest piece of
polycarbonate material in the world. # 1 quality and compatibility
with Helmet Mounted systems which enable the pilot to keep his head
focused on the target at all times.
- Inherent design for growth and development of
HMS's.
The F-22 pilot's safety is further
ensured with an improved version of the military standard ACES II ejection
seat. This will be tandem with new life support systems and additional
space for pilot personal equipment.
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The Heads Up Display or (HUD) will
be built by GEC and server as the primary flight instrument for the pilot.
It will have a viewable area of 30 degrees horizontally and 25 degrees
vertically. Developed by the Air Force Instrument Flight Center, the GEC
HUD will use standard symbology and be 4.5 inches in height. Unlike the
HDD's, the GEC HUD will not be in color. However, the symbology will be
exactly the same as the Head Down Displays. As a shock absorber from bird strikes,
the windshield will be protected by a rubber buffer strip placed on the
HUD combiner glass. During initial bird strike tests, the HUD would
routinely shatter. Precautions were taken at all costs to avoid this from
happening. The buffer strip would shield the polycarbonate glass by
allowing it to flex during a strike. Design is underway for a collapsible
HUD that would fall but not break. In addition, the F-22 design team is
developing a sort of laminate that could possibly eliminate glass from
shattering in the cockpit.
The Integrated Control Panel (ICP)
will be the main location where the pilot can manually input data for
communications, autopilot and navigation. The ICP will be located below
the HUD, underneath the glare shield and in the center top of the
instrument panel. Additionally, the ICP will have "double click"
features which are similar to a PC mouse in functionality. The double
click feature will allow the pilot to input data more rapidly. Six Liquid
crystal color displays will be housed in the cockpit. The LCD's will be
fully readable in direct sunlight. Notable improvements of LCD's when
compared to the older generation displays of CRT's are a lower weight,
less size and a lower power consumption. The LCD's are inherently more
reliable because of the lower power consumption. Two Up Front Display's
(UFD)'s are located to the left and right of the ICP. They measure 3x4
inches. The primary function of the UFD's are to provide the pilot with
cautionary information/warning/advisory, data
communications/navigation/identification (CNI)data and act as the serve as
the Stand-by Flight instrumentation Group and Fuel Quantity Indicator. A
maximum of 12 messages can appear on the UFD's at any given time, and
remaining faults can be indexed as sub pages.
What differentiates the UFD's from
standard warning light panels is it eliminates erroneous messages that
normally appear in other jets via a filtering system. The other difference
is the UFD's provide an electronic checklist which is comparable to a
F-ACK list in the F-16. However, the UFD's in the F-22 will be able to
provide data on the UFD in non-emergency situations. An audio system is an
additional feature that provides warning to the pilot in time of a
aircraft fault. The pilot is alerted to the fault in great detail. For
example, the UFD might display a caution light, but the audio alert would
sound "Caution-Engine Flame Out."
The Stand-by Flight Group shows the
basic information (such as an artificial horizon) the pilot needs to fly
the aircraft. Presented on an LCD display it is always in operation. The
Stand by Flight group is tied to the last source of power in the aircraft.
If every system fails, the pilot will still be able to fly the aircraft.
Located in the middle of the instrument panel, under the ICP is the
Primary Multi-Function Display (PMFD). This 8"x8" color display
is the pilots principal display for aircraft navigation (including showing
waypoints and route of flight) and Situation Assessment (SA) or a
"God's-eye view" of the entire environment around (above, below,
both sides, front and back) the aircraft. Three Secondary Multi-Function
Displays (SMFDs) are all 6.25" x 6.25" and two of them are
Located on either side of the PMFD on the instrument panel with the third
underneath the PMFD between the pilot's knees. The SMFD's are used for
displaying tactical (both defensive and offensive) information as well as
non-tactical information (such as checklists, subsystem status, engine
thrust output, and stores management).
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The tactical information shown on
the displays is all intuitive to the pilot. He/she can tell the situation
around him by a glance at the screen. Enemy aircraft are shown as red
triangles, friendly aircraft are green circles, unknown aircraft are shown
as yellow squares, and wingmen are shown as blue F-22s. Surface-to-air
missile sites (SAM)s are represented by pentagons (along with an
indication of exactly what type missile it is) and its lethal range. The
symbols are further refined in addition to shape and color. A filled-in
triangle indicates the pilot has a missile firing-quality solution against
the target, while an open triangle does not indicate a firing-quality
solution. In order to retrieve more information from the aircraft's
avionics system, the pilot has a cursor on each screen. The system can
determine to a 98% probability the target's type of aircraft. An aircraft
is shown as an unknown if the system can't make an identification to that
degree.
The original objectives for the F-22
was to increase the percentage of fighter pilots who make
"kills". The Inter/Intra Flight Data Link (IFDL) is a powerful
tool that makes all F-22s more capable. The best feature of the IFDL is
each F-22 can be linked together to trade information without radio calls
with each F-22s in a flight or between flight. Each pilot is then free to
operate more autonomously. For example, the leader can tell at a glance
what his wing man's fuel state is, weapons remaining, and even the enemy
aircraft targeted. This feature is reserved for only select tactical
aircraft in the USAF inventory, with the most modern avionics. Classical
tactics based on visual identification and violent formation maneuvers
that reduce the wing man to "hanging on" may have to be
rethought in light of such capabilities.
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The F-22 features a side-stick
controller (like an F-16) in addition to two throttles that are the
aircraft's primary flight controls. Located on the right console, the
GEC-built stick also serves as a swing-out, adjustable arm rest. The stick
is force sensitive and has a throw of only about one-quarter of an inch.
The throttles are located on the left console.
During air combat, both the stick
and the throttles are high-use controls . To support pilot functional
requirements, the grips include buttons and switches (that are both shape
and texture coded) to control more than 60 different time-critical
functions. The buttons are used to control the offensive (weapons
targeting and release) and defensive systems, (although some, like chaff
and flares, can operate both automatically and manually) as well as
display management.
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Previous fighter cockpits were sized
to accommodate the 5th percentile to 95th percentile pilots (a range of
only 90%). The F-22 cockpit is sized to accommodate the 0.5 percentile to
99.5 percentile pilots (the body size of the central 99% of the Air Force
pilot population) This represents the largest range of pilots accommodated
by any tactical aircraft now in service. The rudder pedals are adjustable.
The pilot has 15-degree over-the-nose visibility and excellent
over-the-side and aft visibility as well.
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The cockpit interior lighting is
fully Night Vision Goggle (NVG) compatible, as is the exterior lighting.
The cockpit panels feature extended life, self-balancing, electro luminescent
(EL) edge-lit panels with an integral life-limiting circuit that runs the
lights at the correct power setting throughout their life. It starts at
one-half power and gradually increases the power output to insure
consistent panel light intensity over time. As a result, the cockpit
always presents a well-balanced lighting system to the pilot (there is not
a mottled look in the cockpit). The panels produce low amounts of heat and
power and are very reliable.
The aircraft also has integral
position and anti-collision lights (including strobes) on the wings. The
low voltage electro luminescent formation lights are located at critical
positions for night flight operations on the aircraft (on the forward
fuselage (both sides) under the chine, on the tip of the upper left and
right wings, and on the outside of both vertical stabilizers. There are
similar air refueling lights on the butterfly doors that cover the air
refueling receptacle.
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The F-22 life support system F-22
Life Support System (illustration) integrates all critical components of
clothing, protective gear, and aircraft equipment necessary to sustain the
pilot's life while flying the aircraft. In the past, these components had
been designed and produced separately. The life support system components
include:
An on-board oxygen generation system
(OBOGS) that supplies breathable air to the pilot. An integrated breathing
regulator/anti-g valve (BRAG) that controls flow and pressure to the mask
and pressure garments. A chemical/biological/cold-water immersion (CB/CWI)
protection ensemble. An upper body counter pressure garment and a lower
body anti-G garment acts a partial pressure suit at high altitudes. An
air-cooling garment, which is also going to be used by pilots on the
Army's RAH-66 Comanche helicopter provides thermal relief for the pilot.
Helmet and helmet-mounted systems including C/B goggles and C/B hood; and
the MBU-22/P breathing mask and hose system. The Boeing-led life support
development and its suppliers designed the life support system with the
F-22's advanced performance capabilities in mind. The separate components
of the life-support system must simultaneously meet pilot protection
requirements established by the Air Force in the areas of higher altitude
flight, acceleration, heat distress, cold water immersion, chemical and
biological environments, fire, noise, and high-speed/high-altitude
ejection. Escape-system tests have demonstrated that the life-support
system will protect pilots when exposed to wind speeds of up to 600 knots.
Current life-support systems are designed to provide protection only up to
450 knots. The head mounted portions of the life-support system are
approximately 30 percent lighter than existing systems, which improves
mobility and endurance time for pilots. With its advanced design, the
HGU-86/P helmet that will be used by F-22 pilots during EMD reduces the
stresses on a pilot's neck by 20 percent during high-speed ejection
compared to the current HGU-55/P helmets. The F-22 helmet fits more
securely as the result of an ear cup tensioning device and is easily
fitted to a pilot's head. The helmet provides improved passive noise
protection and incorporates an Active Noise Reduction (ANR) system for
superior pilot protection. The chemical/biological/cold water immersion
garment is to be worn by pilots when they fly over large bodies of cold
water or into chemical/biological warfare situations. These garments meet
or exceed Air Force requirements. During cold water immersion tests, the
body temperature of test subjects wearing the garments fell no more than a
fraction of a degree after sitting in nearly 32-degree Fahrenheit water
for two hours. Current CWI suits allow body temperatures to drop below the
minimum of 96.8 degrees F within an hour and a half. Normal body
temperature is 98.6 degrees F. Other advantages of the F-22 life support
system include its ability to fit a wider range of sizes and body shapes
(the central 99% of the US Air Force pilot population).
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The F-22's canopy is approximately
140 inches long, 45 inches wide, 27 inches tall, and weighs approximately
360 pounds. It is a rotate/translate design, which means that it comes
down, slides forward, and locks in place with pins. It is a much more
complex piece of equipment than it would appear to be. The F-22 canopy's
transparency (made by Sierracin) features the largest piece of monolithic
polycarbonate material being formed today. It has no canopy bow and offers
the pilot superior optics (Zone 1 quality) throughout (not just in the
area near the HUD) and it offers the requisite stealth features. The
canopy is resistant to chemical/biological and environmental agents, and
has been successfully tested to withstand the impact of a four-pound bird
at 350 knots. It also protects the pilot from lightning strikes. The
3/4" polycarbonate transparency is actually made of two 3/8"
thick sheets that are heated and fusion bonded (the sheets actually meld
to become a single-piece article) and then drape forged. The F-16's
canopy, for comparison, is made up of laminated sheets. A laminated canopy
generally offers better bird strike protection, and because of the lower
altitude where the F-16 operates, this is an advantage. However,
lamination also adds weight as well as reduced optics. There is no chance
of a post-ejection canopy-seat-pilot collision as the canopy (with frame)
weighs slightly more on one side than the other. When the canopy is
jettisoned, the weight differential is enough to make it slice nearly
ninety degrees to the right as it clears the aircraft.
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The F-22 uses an improved version of
the ACES II (Advanced Concept Ejection Seat) ejection seat ACES II
Ejection Seat (illustration) that is used in nearly every other Air Force
jet combat aircraft (F-16, F-117, F-15, A-10, B-1, B-2). The seat has a
center mounted (between the pilots leg's) ejection control. The F-22
version of the McDonnell Douglas-built ACES II includes several
improvements over the previous seat models. These improvements include:
The addition of an active arm
restraint system to eliminate arm flail injuries during high speed
ejections. An improved fast-acting seat stabilization drogue parachute
system to provide increased seat stability and safety for the pilot during
high-speed ejections. The drogue is located behind the pilot's head,
rather than in the back of the seat and is mortar-deployed. A new
electronic seat and aircraft sequencing system that improves the timing of
the various events that have to happen in order for the pilot to eject
(initiation, canopy jettison, and seat catapult ignition). A larger oxygen
bottle gives the ejecting pilot more breathing air to support ejection at
higher altitudes (if required). The F-22 ACES II ejection system utilizes
the standard analog three-mode seat sequencer that automatically senses
the seat speed and altitude, and then selects the proper mode for optimum
seat performance and safe recovery of the pilot. Mode 1 is low speed, low
altitude; Mode 2 is high speed, low altitude; and Mode 3 is high altitude.
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