Aircraft

Fighter to finish follow-on evaluation in fourth quarter

After 19 years of development, the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F/A-22 Raptor has reached the final hurdle before entering service with the US Air Force. Follow-on test and evaluation of the stealth fighter began on 29 August, with the USAF still planning to declare initial operational capability in December.

Follow-on testing involves seven operationally representative Raptors incorporating software and hardware upgrades intended to address deficiencies identified during initial operational test and evaluation earlier this year.

Although rated operationally effective during the initial evaluation, the F/A-22 was judged not to be operationally suitable after it failed to meet the required 85% mission-capable rate because of immature diagnostics and maintenance procedures and parts unreliability. Maintenance of the Raptor’s low-observable characteristics on the flightline was also a concern.

Aircraft involved in follow-on testing are being upgraded to the baseline configuration to be introduced with the 47th Raptor – the next combat-coded F/A-22 to be delivered to the first operational unit at Langley AFB, Virginia. This includes the latest operational flight program software, which incorporates updated fault detection and isolation capabilities, as well as improved-reliability parts, says Lockheed.

Follow-on testing – to be conducted at Nellis AFB in Nevada, White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and the Utah Test & Training Range – will include the F/A-22’s air-to-ground capabilities and its operational suitability after the upgrades, says the USAF. Suitability testing will cover sortie generation, including weapons loading and low-observable maintenance, and the deployment requirements in terms of numbers of Boeing C-17 flights needed to support forward basing.

Effectiveness testing will include use of Boeing’s air-to-ground Joint Direct Attack Munition and Raytheon’s AIM-120 Amraam air-to-air missile. This final stage of testing is scheduled to finish late in the fourth quarter, with completion of the evaluation report expected 45 days later. This may place a question mark against the USAF’s stated plan to declare initial operational capability by year-end.

GRAHAM WARWICK/WASHINGTON