Capable of flying twice the speed of sound and so stealthy it can go virtually undetected by enemy radar, the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor is the most advanced fighter jet in the world. Major Joshua “Cabo” Gunderson will show off the Raptor’s extreme maneuverability today during the Owensboro Air Show.
“You’re going to see the full spectrum of maneuverability of the airplane at the Air Show,” Gunderson said Friday after touching down in Owensboro. “We like to joke and it’s called the Raptor Gymnastics Team because it does backflips and cartwheels and some pretty cool stuff.”
The Raptor is designed to “rapidly project air dominance at great distances while defeating threats attempting to deny access to our nation’s Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft,” according to the aircraft’s online fact sheet.
The F-22 possesses a sophisticated sensor suite allowing the pilot to track, identify, shoot, and kill air-to-air threats before being detected. In the air-to-air configuration, the F-22 Raptor carries six AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders.
The F-22 has an advanced capability of attacking surface targets as well. In the air-to-ground configuration, the aircraft can carry two 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions internally and will use onboard avionics for navigation and weapons delivery support.
The dual F-22 engines produce more thrust than any current fighter engine. The combination of sleek aerodynamic design and increased thrust allows the F-22 to cruise at supersonic airspeeds (greater than 1.5 Mach) without using afterburner – a characteristic known as supercruise.
It’s not all about speed, though, as the Raptor can also take it relatively low. Most aircraft are designed to do one or the other.
“Not many airplanes in the world can span the spectrum of slow speed to high speed, and this airplane can do all those things,” Gunderson said. “I can slow this thing down to 75 knots (roughly 90 miles per hour) and then I can go twice the speed of sound.”
Gunderson, who is a combat fighter pilot with more than 1500 flying hours in the F-15C Eagle and F-22A Raptor, highlighted some of the key characteristics of the jet.
“Stealth, so people will have a very difficult time finding us on the radar, which essentially turns into being 95% offense 5% defense,” he said. “You also have advanced avionics in the cockpit, it’s all very easy to understand for the pilot to see what’s going on. It’s also the most maneuverable airplane the military has ever produced across all services.”
Most aircraft participating in an air show are modified, with features such as smoke or other ways to enhance the performance. That’s not the case with the Raptor.
“Every jet we fly at air shows is completely combat-ready,” Gunderson said. “I could take this jet tomorrow into combat if we needed to. Obviously, we don’t take bombs and missiles with us in the shows, but beyond that, we can take it to combat tomorrow.”
The F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team is stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia. In March 2007, the team participated in its debut air show at Tyndall Air Force Base. Since then, the team has performed more than 250 demonstrations across the world.
“Our job is to take the F-22 around the country and around the world showcasing what the airplane can do, and also the teamwork that goes behind it,” Gunderson said. “So one of our biggest missions is to recruit so we go around the country talking to schools and kids of all ages and explain what opportunities exist in the Air Force. We kind of use the F-22 as an example of what you can do in terms of achieving your goals.”
The Owensboro Air Show is set for 12:30-4 p.m. today and tomorrow. For more information, click here.
