Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC
Lockheed Martin and Boeing will report back to the US Air Force by mid-year on the work needed to expand the F-22's multirole capabilities.
New programme general manager Bob Reardon says the team has been asked to look at 31 different precision-guided weapon scenarios and provide pricing data to the USAF for its budget planning process.
The F-22 is a stealthy air-superiority fighter, but is planned to enter service at the end of 2005 with a secondary air-to-ground capability. The basic aircraft will be able to carry two 450kg (1,000lb) precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) internally.
Reardon says expanding the F-22's multirole capability would mainly involve software changes. The ability to carry submunition dispensers internally will allow the aircraft to deploy new miniature smart weapons that the USAF plans to develop, such as 115kg precision-guided bombs and laser-radar-guided autonomous submunitions.
The earliest that an expanded multirole capability could be incorporated would be in production Block 5 aircraft for delivery from 2006 onwards. The initial operational capability aircraft that are able to carry JDAM will be production Block 4.
The USAF has yet to commit to expanding the F-22's multirole capability, but Reardon says industry's goal is to "work on the affordability of the aircraft" so that the F-22 will be positioned to replace the air force's F-117 and F-15E strike aircraft.
The team wants to persuade the USAF to continue production beyond the planned 339 F-22s that are needed to replace air-superiority F-15Cs.
Source: Flight International
