Photo: USAF/Staff Sgt. Don Hudson
The word “raptor” has become commonly used since the 1993 Jurassic Park movie and over the years, along the T-Rex and some other engineered beasts, the raptor became one of the star animals of the franchise. In the automotive world, it is used to describe a version of the F-150. But the alfa raptor must be the F-22.
Built by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the stealth tactical aircraft has been around since 2005, being fielded exclusively by the United States Air Force (USAF). And it’s a monster of a winged machine.
Being flown by a single pilot, the airplane can reach a maximum speed of Mach 2.25, and can fly at heights of up to 65,000 feet (20,000 meters). Its range is of about 1,800 miles (3,000 km).
The Raptor is generally armed with one rotary cannon, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and several hardpoints on which other weapons, or in case of need drop tanks, can be fitted.
Being a relatively new airplane, and with not that many of them in service (there have been under 200 of them built so far), the F-22 didn’t get a real chance of proving itself in full-blown combat. It does get to show off its skills though at various air shows, where it is flown by its own demonstration team.
The image attached to this piece (click photo to enlarge) was captured at the end of May and just released last week by the Air Force. It shows an F-22 flown by Maj. Josh Gunderson during a demo flight at the Westmoreland County Airshow in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
The thing looks like a prehistoric beast emerging from the cold mist, and the effect was made possible by the change in air pressure across the wing and the condensation of moisture into vapor cloud. This phenomenon happened in this case as the Raptor was performing a pull-push takeoff at the said event.
Being flown by a single pilot, the airplane can reach a maximum speed of Mach 2.25, and can fly at heights of up to 65,000 feet (20,000 meters). Its range is of about 1,800 miles (3,000 km).
The Raptor is generally armed with one rotary cannon, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and several hardpoints on which other weapons, or in case of need drop tanks, can be fitted.
Being a relatively new airplane, and with not that many of them in service (there have been under 200 of them built so far), the F-22 didn’t get a real chance of proving itself in full-blown combat. It does get to show off its skills though at various air shows, where it is flown by its own demonstration team.
The image attached to this piece (click photo to enlarge) was captured at the end of May and just released last week by the Air Force. It shows an F-22 flown by Maj. Josh Gunderson during a demo flight at the Westmoreland County Airshow in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
The thing looks like a prehistoric beast emerging from the cold mist, and the effect was made possible by the change in air pressure across the wing and the condensation of moisture into vapor cloud. This phenomenon happened in this case as the Raptor was performing a pull-push takeoff at the said event.
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