F-22 reaches milestone ahead of schedule EDWARDS AFB, Calif. -- The F-22 Combined Test Force completed another major Defense Acquisition Board milestone ahead of schedule August 22. The test involved F-22 flight maneuvers, with its weapons bay doors open, and at high angles of attack. The milestone, officially titled as "Initiate High AoA (Angle of Attack) with Weapons Bay Doors Open, was the third of nine flight test related milestones completed this year. Other milestones for 2000 include the first flight of Raptor 4003, 4004, 4005, 4006, initiate Radar Cross Section testing, initiate high AoA testing with weapons bay doors open, initiate AIM-9 separation testing, initiate AIM-120 separation testing, complete Avionics Block 3.0 first flight, and initiate Block 3.0 unique functionality testing. The other milestones completed this year include the first flight of Raptor 4003 and AIM-9 separation testing. Completion of Raptor 4004, 4005, 4006 and the avionics testing milestones can begin once the items complete the manufacturing process and are ready for issue to the combined test force. Completion of test points that will culminate with separation testing of the AIM-120 and RCS testing are proceeding satisfactorily. This test required the F-22 to fly with its center weapons bay doors open and conduct extensive maneuvering flight and with a high angle of attack, or nose up attitude. The test evaluated the weapons bay doors ability to withstand significant changes in pressure gradients generated by the airflow as it passes by the plane's fuselage. According to test engineers at the F-22 testing facility, the aircraft passed its milestone "with flying colors." Lockheed test pilot Jon Beesley flew Raptor 4002 during the test. The specific maneuvers done by Beesley included 360 degree rolls and full pedal sideslips, where the pedals, or rudder controls, are pushed to the full extent of their control travel. Tests were done at 35,000 feet and at varying airspeeds. While specific details of the test profile remain sensitive, the aircraft’s performance continued to exceed capabilities of all other fighter aircraft currently in use. The "F-22 continues to perform outstandingly in all tests that we have performed and it remains unsurpassed in both its handling and flight performance," Beesley said. Edwards is currently testing three F-22s. Since the start of testing, a little over two years ago, the F-22 program has flown over 690 hours and completed over 8,000 flight test points, or evaluation items, and over 2,500 maintenance or logistics test points. The F-22 test team has completed several major flight test milestones. All have been accomplished ahead of schedule. As an example of applied aerodynamics in action, the F-22 test program remains, based on historical data, the single most efficient flight-test program in Edwards’ history. The test team has seen continued successes in its ability to fine tune Raptor performance, expand the aircraft’s flight envelope and discover areas to enhance structural capabilities. All flight test tasks are essential to helping the F-22 reach its ultimate goal of being "the air superiority fighter" of the 21st Century. |