PAUL LEWIS / ORLANDO
The US Air Force has mapped out a follow-on development plan for the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor, including an enhanced radar and weapons capability, as it seeks to accelerate production of the new aircraft to generate cost savings to complete the planned procurement of 339 fighters.
The Pentagon's Defense Acquisition Board (DAB), as part of its recent approval to put the F-22 into production, specified a number of system enhancements for the baseline fighter. These include a Joint Tactical Information Distribution System transmit datalink, which could be incorporated as part of a planned Block 4 package of improvements.
An improved radar is slated for addition in 2005, which will address parts obsolescence and leverage technology being developed for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. There will be a significant weight saving and around a 75% reduction in parts count with the introduction of new two-in-one transmit/receive modules. The USAF is also looking at a synthetic-aperture radar mode.
The USAF wants to give the F-22 additional weapons capability, with the planned Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) pencilled in as part of the planned Block 5 configuration. The F-22's internal weapons bays could accommodate between eight and 12 SDBs depending on whether ejector racks or gravity drop is used. "We've contracted to support both SDB competitors [Boeing and Lockheed Martin]," says Bob Rearden, Lockheed Martin F-22 general manager.
The air force is planning a follow-on test and evaluation (FOT&E) effort using eight production representative test vehicles (PRTVs). The Nellis AFB-based FOT&E will first be focused on clearing Block 3.1.3 as the initial operational configuration, which will include the Raytheon medium-range AIM-120C and short-range AIM-9X air-to-air missiles and the Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munition.
Lockheed Martin also acknowledges it has an internal study of a growth F-22 that would offer extended range and weapons payload for strike missions, and includes a stretched fuselage to provide an enlarged weapons bay and a larger wing, while retaining the aircraft's low-observable features.
A study is also under way to increase the full-rate F-22 production from 36 per year to 56, which would complete the F-22 manufacturing in 2009 - two years ahead of schedule. The DAB has approved a "buy-to-budget" total of 303 F-22s including PRTVs, but allows the air force to order its planned objective of 339 aircraft, providing it can generate savings.
Source: Flight International
