JULY 11, 2008
The fi rst release and then the fi rst
supersonic release of a GBU-39 Small
Diameter Bomb (SDB) from an F-22. ‘An
SDB has never been dropped from a
supersonic aircra ,’ said Maj Michael
Starr, a 411th FLTS test pilot. ‘Supersonic
separation testing will give the F-22 the
ability to drop the SDB at supersonic
speeds, which synergistically enhances
the Raptor’s air-to-air mission.’MAY 6, 2015
The 411th FLTS test fi red two guided
AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles as part of
Increment 3.2B testing. The fi rst guided
launch of the AIM-9X from an F-22 Raptor
was completed on February 26 by MajRAPTOR TEST MILESTONES
Christopher Guarente. The missile shot
down a BQM-34 drone. The second guided
fi ring was conducted April 29 by Maj Patrick
Killingsworth, targeting a BQM-74 drone.
Both shots were taken over the China Lake
test range.
‘The second shot was done in a much
more stressing fl ight regime, doing things
that only the Raptor can do while employing
the AIM-9X,’ said Jeremy Cookson, F-22
Weapons Integration lead engineer.
The AIM-9X has a digital guidance
system and infra-red signal processing
that results in enhanced acquisition
ranges, greatly improved infra-red counter-
countermeasures capability, and extremely
high off -boresight (the angle off of the
nose of the aircra ) engagement zones.relevant. With the speed at which
computer technology advances, it’s
extraordinary to think that a programme
can spend so long in development, but
stay credible.
Today, through ghter integration, this
fth-generation master is also helping
get the best from older eets of F-15s and
F-16s, having to work as a force multiplier.
It enables far greater situational awareness,
and new datalinks are helping to meld this
relationship.Above left to right:
An Edwards F-22
Raptor ies on
July 11, 2008,
as part of a test
to integrate a
GBU-39 Small
Diameter Bomb
to the aircraft.
On the same day,
the 411th Flight
Test Squadron
dropped an SDB
at supersonic
speed for the rst
time. Lockheed
Martin/Kevin
Robertson
The rst four
weapon ripple
release of the
GBU-39 from a
Raptor (91-4009)
own by Maj Allen
Growler in 2010.
Lockheed Martin/
David Henry
Left: The rst
guided launch of
an AIM-9X from
an F-22 Raptor
was completed
on February 26,
2015, by Maj
Christopher
Guarente.
Lockheed Martin/
David Henryevaluated the Thales Visionix Scorpion
HMD, but no further details have been
disclosed.
Lockheed Martin is also working with
the USAF to upgrade the stealthy Radar-
Absorbent Material (RAM) coating of
the F-22. The entire eet will receive a
new low-observable (LO) material that
is designed to last much longer than the
original. Application of the new material
to the F-22A began in 2014. Lockheed
Martin has completed replacement of theRAM on the engine inlets, with the work
being carried out on a new Inlet Coating
Repair Speedline that was set up to relieve
pressure on the Ogden Air Logistics Center
at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
It took literally decades of design and
development work to bring the Raptor
from its earliest beginnings to the front-
line squadrons. Only through continual
upgrades can a ghter like this remainGuarente commented: ‘The aircra will
be able to employ the 9X at high angles
of a ack and high look angles, which will
allow the pilot freedom to manoeuvre as
necessary to achieve the fi rst shot and
kill without being limited by the missile’s
launch capability. We are expecting that
the 9X will be cleared for launch in fl ight
conditions no other aircra can even
achieve, bringing the full-manoeuvring
capabilities of the F-22 to bear.’
The AIM-9X project for the F-22 has
been long and drawn out. Cookson said
fi elding the AIM-9X on the F-22 has been
a process that began around 2008. ‘There
have been a lot of fi ndings and challenges
along the way and the whole team has
done a phenomenal job ge ing us to where
we are today. AIM-9X is long overdue on
the F-22, but it is going to be a tremendous
capability.’APRIL 18, 2017
F-22 Raptors from the 411th FLTS
completed developmental tests of AIM-9X
and AIM-120C missiles against multiple
BQM-167A sub-scale aerial targets on the
Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR), as
part of the Increment 3.2B upgrade. ‘The
shots at UTRR were the graduation live fi re
event of a two-year-long 3.2B upgrade,’
said Lt Col Randel Gordon.RAPTOR^9794-98 Latest test C.indd 97 28/09/2017 15:38