F-22 underwing weapon bays

Well, we all know that one argument against F-22 was always the fact that it cannot carry enough bombs in it's internal bay. It can carry a lot undewings, but than it loses ipart of it's stealth capabilities. The bay cannot be made much larger, because of aerodynamics. JSF bomb bays are slightly larger, but the plane cannot supercruise and has lower thrust-to-weight and wing loading ratio - resulting in lower maneuvrability and speed.
Now this thing could help. Underwing weapons bay resembles a faceted pod. This is only artists concept, the exact shape is classified. It allows the F-22 to carry various weapons from SDB to 5000lbs bunker buster bomb (now carried only by B-2)., while still remain stealth. I don'tknow if it allows the supercruise , but it's still better than only 2 1000lbs carried now+the F-22 can carry 6 Amrams for defense. If enemy planes attack F-22 it can still drop the pods and effectively fight. The F-22 is able to carry 5000lbs under 4 underwing hardpoints. That means it has the potential to replace F-15E without producing FB-22.

It was originally developed for FB-22, but no one knows if this variant would be produced. But it could be used also for normal F-22 planes. Note the pics are artists concepts only for FB-22 - carrying 2 external WWB + 2 JASSM.

Interesting.... I cant wait to see if they try to add it to the F/A-22 It will be able to carry more A2A missiles.
The Raptor does not need to carry a lot of bombs or A2S missiles. Its main role is Air superiority its not meant to attack a lot of things on the round.
The F-35 will be used for that until the F-35 comes on service the F-16 will have to do.

Six AIM-120s and two AIM-9s sound like a good combat load to me.

As someone has stated the Internal compliment is quite substatial - im sure the use of external pylons will only be considered when the role of air superiority has been accomplished.

Pylons and thier pods with lower radar cross sections is the logical step forward.

[edit on 28-3-2005 by Vanguard]

Originally posted by WestPoint23
The Raptor does not need to carry a lot of bombs or A2S missiles. Its main role is Air superiority its not meant to attack a lot of things on the round.
The F-35 will be used for that until the F-35 comes on service the F-16 will have to do.

F-35 has not so long range, speed etc. and it also cannot carry 5000lbs bunkerbusters like this pods. F-35 is good replacement for f-16 and f-18, but F-22 equipped with those pods could cheaply replace F-15E, if FB-22 is not produced.

What does the F/A-22 need so many weapons for anyway? it's not like it will be facing entire squadrons like those video games, it will face 3-4 aircraft on a busy day! even in a hot war...perhaps against a larger country it would be busier...but still, there will be atleast 2 F/A-22s doing CAP missions.

Well the last time the US faced an opponent that could seriously hope to engage it air to air was in Vietnam, in every conflict that the US has engaged in since then, the Air Force has primarily needed more and better attack aircraft. Every air superiority fighter inevitably seems to morph into a multirole aircraft as combat needs dictate.

The same process is happening with the Raptor, hence it's redesignation to F/A-22. I bet we'll see something like this deployed eventually.

I think the /A was added because the Raptor can carry 2 1000LB JDAM’s and its stealth attributes allow it to before some limited strike missions when enemy air defense is quite formidable.

I agree, there is a good idea of having a type of throwaway-stealth pod to use for initial AIM-120s. In fact from what i am thinking the F-22 is probly going ot be locking onto multiple targets at once and firing a salvo of missiles. Might help against a swarm tactic that is the one downfall of the F-22s tactics

fyi
Underside bays

www.airforce-technology.com...

Sidebays

science.howstuffworks.com...

Potential configurations

science.howstuffworks.com...

2 GBU-31 bombs is nothing to sneeze at. Especailly with highly accurate guided munitions

as posted by Jehosephat
I agree, there is a good idea of having a type of throwaway-stealth pod to use for initial AIM-120s. In fact from what i am thinking the F-22 is probly going ot be locking onto multiple targets at once and firing a salvo of missiles. Might help against a swarm tactic that is the one downfall of the F-22s tactics.

Jehosephat,
Are you assuming that the Raptor will be flying a sorte on its own?
The Raptors electronic suite allows it to detect, locate, track, and target multiple enemy aircraft without being detected. My limited understanding and memory seems to recall that the Raptor has the ability to simultaneously track up to 24 targets while being able to simultaneously engage up tp six targets.

I do not see a payload of 6 AIM-120s and 2 AIM-9Xs as a "downfall of the F-22s tactics," in regards to a "swarm tactic." Most Raptors will fly with a 'pilot' and 'wingman' scenerio, implying two aircraft. Special slated missions may be deemed for a singular Raptor incursion, but I believe those will be rare and reserved for the F-35s and F-117s.

The Raptor is mainly an air-superiority aircraft. Having external pods, be they stealth components or not, must not hinder the performance of the aircraft nor its stealth intergrity/characteristics.






seekerof

I thought the F-22 was designed to be worked in pairs with an "active" plane trailing and a "passive" plane leading using telemetry from the active fighter, and orbiting AWACs? The same method used to defeat an Aegis crusier could be used to defeat the above F-22 tactic... overwhelming the area wtih decoys and false images to cover the approach of live aircraft and missiles

I think that someone needs to get out the Phoenix missile blueprints and dust them off. There is a big need for a long range air to air missile. Figure it this way. The F-22 is never going to be built in large numbers. It costs too much and is too inflexable. This is where the idea of an F/A-22 is coming from. Unless the US gets an enemy with alot of high tech aircraft the F-22 is overkill. Stealth is not ment for an air to air threat, it is ment for a surface to air threat! If you have two stealth aircraft in a dogfight they are going to have to go at it with just the eyes of their pilots. This negates the AMRAAM and other radar missiles. It is going to be Sidewinders and cannons at twenty paces, performance wise you can do that now with an F-15 or F-16. This wave attack that has been mentioned is going to be a bunch of non-stealthy aircraft salvoing missiles in hope of a hit out of just sheer numbers. The easiest way to defeat the wave attack is standing off at long range and knocking them down before they get close enough to shoot at you. Getting back to the long range air to air missile that I mentioned earlier. Aside from the so called technical problems the Pheonix had one major drawback. It had too much range. In our politically correct society today no commander in their right mind is going to let a pilot start popping bogeys without being 100% sure that they are indeed enemy aircraft. Picture the headlines "Eagle driver thought Airbus was MIG 29. Hundreds dead! World condems US!". Now you load up a bunch of F-15s with new and improved Pheonixes, add a half dozen F-22s and that wave attack can be delt with easily. AWACS spot the enemy formation, order the F-22s to check them out and then once they are properly identified the Eagles start knocking them down from a hundred miles out.

The AIM-54 is going to be replaced by a version of the AIM-120C with a longer range. It will be a much better missiles and the F?A-22 and other aircraft will actually be able to carry it unlike the AIM-54. The AIM-54 was just to complex and expensive.

The Aim-54 was big and expensive but you have to admit it god the job doe well. And the Navy / Air Force already had a missile to replace the Phoenix back in the 90’s it was the AIM-155 but they cancelled due to the USSR collapsing. I think they should have a version of the AIM-120 that has at least a range of 90-100 miles.

[edit on 30-3-2005 by WestPoint23]

Raptor can carry either 4 AMRAAMs or 6 'clipped wing' AMRAAMs, along with 2 Sidewinders.

Aren't the “clipped wing” AMRAAM’s the same missile but the wing tips and tail flaps fold to accommodate more in the missile bays?

The clipped 120 is the AIM-120C. The control fins were clipped so it could fit into the lower internal bay of the F/A-22. All new AIM-120s will be clipped.