The F-22 Raptor Could Truly Be Headed for Retirement. Here s Why.
Is there something faster, stealthier, more maneuverable, and more lethal than the F-22? It seems that could be true.
So little is known about the now airborne 6th-Gen stealth fighter aircraft, yet it is a potential breakthrough platform that is exploding onto the scene years ahead of what was previously anticipated.
Now, it appears the progress and promise of the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance 6th Gen program may already be substantially impacting the service’s force structure plans for the future.
The F-22 may now retire 20 or more years earlier than is now planned, should plans articulated in a “yet-to-be-unveiled” Air Force 30-year fighter force design, according to senior service leaders quoted in a fast-breaking report from Air Force Magazine
Update: Lockheed Martin, Pentagon establish bi-directional communications between fifth-generation aircraft, ground units
11 May 2021
by Pat Host
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and the Pentagon for the first time established bi-directional communications between fifth-generation aircraft in flight while also sharing operational and sensor data to ground forces during a recent test, according to a company statement on 3 May.
This flight test, named Project Hydra, linked a Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, five Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs), and a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor in the air and provided real-time fifth-generation data to operators on the ground. The flight test leveraged an Open Systems Gateway (OSG) payload aboard the U-2 to connect the F-22 to the five F-35As via the native Intra-Flight Data Link (IFDL) and the Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL). The target tracks were also transmitted by, and through,
Ever since the F-22 was introduced in 2005, it's been recognized as one of the most capable fighter planes in the world. However, it isn't very good at directly sharing data with anything other than other F-22s. Project Hydra is changing that.
F-22 and F-35 Aircraft Finally Talk Stealth to Each Other, U-2 Spy Plane Helps 4 May 2021, 8:47 UTC ·
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The latest flight test, dubbed Project Hydra, used an Open Systems Gateway (OSG) payload aboard the U-2 to link an F-22 to five F-35s through an Intra-Flight Data Link (IFDL) and a Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL). The demonstration made it possible to exchange data in free flight between all aircraft and ground nodes.
The Airforce has been trying over the years to develop a new technology that could make this type of communication possible. Up until recently, the F-22 couldn t transmit stealthy data to any aircraft besides other F-22s. The F-35s also couldn t communicate with the F-22s except at the voice level. All because each aircraft used different Low Probability of Interception (LPD/LPI) communications.
NurPhotoGetty Images
The two fifth-generation fighters have different communications links, so until now, they couldn actually “talking” to one another.
The U-2’s role will eventually be taken over by high-flying drones.
One of the oldest airplanes in the U.S. Air Force has picked up a critical new mission: serve as a flying translator for two of the youngest planes.
Although the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are among the most advanced fighter jets in the world, they have two different communications systems, which means they can’t communicate with each other. That’s why they need a third plane the U-2 “Dragon Lady” spy plane to help facilitate the conversation.