F-22 Fighter Performance

June2006©JamesP.Stevenson20061F-22FighterPerformanceHowdoestheF-22Acompareaquartercenturylater?ByJamesP.StevensonSponsoredbytheStrausMilitaryReformProjectoftheCenterforDefenseInformationJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson20062Greatfightercharacteristics
Obtainthefirstsighting
Outnumbertheenemyintheair
Outmaneuvertogainfiringposition
AchievesplitsecondquickkillsJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson20063F-22AreplacesF-15June2006©JamesP.Stevenson20064WhyquestionAirForce?
Sprey’ssummaryisinconsistentwithwhattheseniorAirForcemanagementsaysweneed
Afterall…June2006©JamesP.Stevenson20065GeneralsknowbestJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson20066PreparedforPearlHarborJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson20067Soheavilyarmored…June2006©JamesP.Stevenson20068andsoheavilyarmed…June2006©JamesP.Stevenson20069…fightersnotneeded…June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200610…thatbomberscouldflywithimpunity…June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200611…reachtheirtargets…
SuchastheAugust17,1943raidonSchweinfurt,GermanyJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200612…anddestroyGermanwar-makingcapabilitiesJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200613Butanti-aircraftwasharsh,June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200614RealitywasharsherJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200615Thepromised“soheavilyarmedandarmored”June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200616AirForceofferedtheP-47
ComparedtotheP-51,theP-47
Weighedtwiceasmuch
Costtwiceandmuch
CouldnotflywithbomberstotheirtargetsJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200617P-51imposedbyFDRJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200618Asfordestroyingthewar-makingcapabilitiesJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200619“Hap”Arnoldassuredus:Noneedtore-attack
“AllfiveoftheworksatSchweinfurtwereeithercompletelyoralmostcompletelywipedout.Ourattackwasthemostperfectexampleinhistoryofaccuratedistributionofbombsoveratarget.Itwasanattackthatwillnothavetoberepeatedforaverylongtime,ifatall.”
ChiefofStaffoftheU.S.ArmyAirForces,GeneralH.H.HapArnold,saidshortlyafterthefirstdeepbomberraidonGermanyJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200620Reality:raidscontinued
Foranother20monthswith22bombingraids,2,285bombers,dropping592,598bombsuntil10April1945
Ballbearingplantsweretheonlytargets,butAirForcedestroyed50%ofhomes
QuestioningseniorAirForcedecisionsdoesn’tseemunreasonableJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200621Greatfightercharacteristics
Obtainthefirstsighting
Outnumbertheenemyintheair
Outmaneuvertogainfiringposition
AchievesplitsecondquickkillsJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200622Obtainfirstsighting
Topgunsurvey
Whatsingleadvantagewouldyoulike•Longerrangemissile•Longerrangeradar,etc.
AirForceposition
“Firstlook,firstshoot,firstkill.”June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200623Thefirstsighting,electronicallyJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200624F-4B:GunsnotrequiredJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200625Radars~equalrangeJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200626SecDefPerry:F-22invisibletoradars
And[theF-22’s]biggestdistinctiveadvantageovertheF-15oranyotherairplaneintheinventorytodayisthatitcannotbeseenbytheradars,eithertheground-to-airdefensesystemortheradarsthatdrivetheair-to-airmissiles.”
WilliamPerry,“DefenseDepartmentBudgetBriefing.”(7Feb.1994):A1,A-10.June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200627F-117“invisible”
SecretaryofDefensePerrymadesimilarremarksabouttheF-117asbeinginvisibletoradarJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200628Stealthincombat
F-117hadhigherlossratethanF-16inSerbianairwar
2F-117shitfrom1950stechnology
(1loss,1outofaction)
Howeveradvanced,“stealth”aircrafthavetoemitradarifenemyaircraftisrunningsilentJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200629Whodoyouwanttobeinadarkalley…
…thecopwiththeflashlightor
thecrookwithagunthatfireslight-homingbullets?June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200630Radar-homingmissile
AIM-7Nanti-radiationmissileusedinDesertStorm
Russian’shavetheR-27P,thenewerR-77P,andarumoredR-77Tanti-radiationmissileJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200631RussianR-27PforsaleJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200632F-22rebuttal:FrequencyhoppingJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200633Radarsonoroff?
Someassertthatinthenextairwar,alltheradarswillbeoffandtheairwarwillmergetoaircombatmaneuvering
ThisiswhathashappenedinallpreviouswarsJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200634ThereturnofthedogfightJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200635FirstsightwinsthefightJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200636“Thebiggesttargetinthesky,isalwaysthefirsttodie.”June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200637F-22sareseenfirstJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200638Youdidn’tseethat?NotinvisiblebutnotthefirsttobeseenJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200639Rearwardvisibility
Inallairwars,65-95%ofpilotsneversawwhoshotthem
IstheF-22astepforward?
(WhatabouttheF-35JointStrikeFighter?)June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200640Rearwardvisibilitypre-WorldWar2June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200641VisibilityaftercombatJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200642Forgottenlessons
Dogfightsathingofthepast
SmoothcanopytohelptopspeedJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200643F-22:astepforward?June2006©JamesP.Stevenson200644Technologyvsvisibility
RearwardvisibilitysacrificedforstealthJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200645F-16cockpitvisibilityJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200646Rearwardvisibilitytrend
RearwardvisibilitysacrificedfortechnologyJune2006©JamesP.Stevenson200647Greatfightercharacteristics
Obtainthefirstsighting
Outnumbertheenemyintheair
Outmaneuvertoga