The F-22 Raptor Combined Test Force
staff conducted the first airborne separation of a small diameter
bomb from the internal weapons bay of an F-22 during a September
test mission at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
"This is a major milestone for the F-22 modernization roadmap,"
said Lt. Col. Daniel Daetz, the 411th Flight Test Squadron
commander. The drop was made to ensure the small diameter bomb, or
SDB, would have a clean separation when released from the F-22.
"The test proved that our predictions were modeled properly,"
said Maj. Jack Fischer, a 411th Flight Test Squadron test pilot.
"The bomb came out exactly as it should have for the first test, so
we're on the right track." Testing of the SDB with the F-22 is part
of the Increment 3.1 upgrade to the aircraft, Major Fischer
said.
Once the SDB is cleared for operational missions aboard the
F-22, it will enable the aircraft to carry four times the weapons
load, Major Fischer said. The F-22 can carry eight SDBs with two
advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles and two AIM-9 Sidewinder
missiles.
"Instead of taking two Joint Direct Attack Munitions, we can
carry eight SDBs," the major said. "It also increases our range
considerably. The SDB envelope will be the highest and fastest of
currently fielded Air Force weapons." Carrying the SDB internally
is important to maintaining the F-22's stealth because external
weapons could be picked up by radar, said Bill Kuhlemeier, the
Lockheed Martin chief flight test engineer. However, the
requirement presents unique challenges.
"I think the real question for us is what challenges are there
associated with carrying weapons internally," Major Fischer said.
"No other aircraft can release a supersonic weapon out of an
internal weapons bay. The flow field and shock wave interactions
present a very complex challenge. Whether it's air-to-air or
air-to-ground, we're still dealing with those same factors."
The F-22 was not originally designed for air-to-ground
operations, Mr. Kuhlemeier said.
"We have to learn how much we can get away with while inducing
loads on an aircraft that wasn't designed to carry bombs at first,"
he said. "We're finding ways to overcome that by making the Raptor
stronger for the different missions."
The Combined Test Force's future flight test plans include
expanding the F-22's delivery envelope to the full capability of
the aircraft, Mr. Kuhlemeier said.
"Once we can say the bomb can safely be released from the
aircraft, we will move to guided tests," he said. "We will then
release the weapons to see if they hit their targets. We're
starting easy and working our way up to more difficult tests."
Major Fischer said integration of the SDB with the F-22 is
important to the warfighter because it puts almost everything in
their target set.
"Targets we can't get with most weapons, we can get with the
F-22 because we have stealth," he said. "With this weapon and
aircraft, there is no place we can't reach and no place for an
enemy to hide." [ANN Salutes Senior Airman Jason Hernandez, 95th
Air Base Wing Public Affairs]