F-22s in Middle East losing their stealth coating

a reply to: pikestaff

Pikestaff, you are absolutely correct. RAM consisting of ferrite-impregnated polymers are subject to oxidation (i.e., rust). On the F-117A, RAM sheets were overpainted, which provided some protection against the elements. Chips, cracks, and gaps had to be sealed with liquid Ram to prevent rusting and ensure electrical continuity. There have no doubt been many improvements over the past three decades.

When I photographed an F-22 last summer here in England I noticed missing patches of RAM. Here you can see evidence of it under the wing uppermost in the picture, revealing the bright green that you see on pictures of unpainted aircraft.

a reply to: waynos

We saw something similar at Nellis last summer. One Raptor in particular has what looked like an entire patch panel that had a completely different colored coating or no coating at all on it.

Think it all would depend on how the RAM coating is applied.If any paint shop can spray it then local airfields can do it but if its in a specialized shop then they have to be booked into have it done to spec.

According to sources, the RAM maintenance seen in the Middle East is no worse than they've seen in other conditions. Recently Lockheed put the first aircraft through their new Inlet Coating Repair Speedline, replacing the inlet coating on the oldest aircraft.

theaviationgeekclub.com... non-combat-operations/

interesting. thanks for posting. really any craft that size probably has to have the best coating. I think the future will tend towards smaller craft and flight patterning.

What really gets me about the F-22 is that despite the huge efforts made to document and archive the parts, toolings and the processes for the manufacture and upkeep of the planes, it seems there are big gaps...

nationalinterest.org...

The above and a few other stories I have heard of parts supplies drying up and especially the needed skills in ADA coding combined with the peculiar way some of the original coding was done make software upgrades slow and costly.

They tried, they really did, but budget cuts late in the piece forced the guys to cut corners close to two decades ago. Now we pay that price.

I heard from a friend of the family that is part of an F-22 squadron last night. According to him, the coatings are coming off as a result of age. It was fully expected, but the concern is over the coating on the front of the intake.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Thanks for the update zaph

I wonder if there is a material that can be applied after the RAM to keep it from sloughing off and if it would effect the RAM's performance.