Lockheed Martin YF-22 (Raptor)

5th Generation Fighter Technology Demonstrator [ 1990 ]

The Lockheed Martin YF-22 set the framework for what became the advanced - and untouchable - F-22A Raptor air superiority fighter of today for the USAF.

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The Lockheed YF-22 was the developmental form of the F-22 "Raptor" 5th Generation air superiority fighter in service with the United States Air Force (USAF) today. The design stood as a highly-advanced technology demonstrator for a team lead by defense powerhouse Lockheed martin but included typical industry competitors in Boeing and General Dynamics as well. The YF-22 competed successfully against the Northrop Grumman team which submitted its impressive YF-23 "Black Widow II" (detailed elsewhere on this site). The YF-22 entered service as the "F-22A" and ushered in the age of the 5th Generation Fighter, designs relying on supercruise technology, stealth qualities, and advanced onboard systems and weapons to overwhelm all known enemy threats.

The USAF called on local industry to develop a new air superiority fighter to counter the rising threat of new-generation Soviet fighters - namely the Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker" and the Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum" types emerging in the East. This led the service to establish the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program during the 1980s to seek such a solution. The program was launched in June of 1981 and its price tag would reach a staggering $86.6 billion USD before the end. Proposals were accepted from the usual American defense players in Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop, and McDonnell Douglas resulting in two defined teams by 1986, each backing a single design - the Lockheed-led "YF-22" and the Northrop-led "YF-23". The program ended in August of 1991 with the selection of the Lockheed proposal.

Both designs relied on a single-seat layout for its crew with a radar-housing nosecone assembly and heavy use of composite materials. Twin side-by-side turbofan engine arrangements were featured, these aspirated by side-mounted fuselage intakes. The powerplants exhausted through slot-like, vector-thrusting exhaust ports for extreme agility seated between a pair of outward-canted vertical tailfins. Key differences in the designs were the YF-22's diamond-like shaping and sharp edges versus the YF-23's more elegant shaping. The YF-23 had an extended forward fuselage pushing the cockpit further out from the airplane's center mass. It also sported tapering along both the leading and trailing edges of the wing mainplane and lacked traditional horizontal tailplanes - the outward-canted tailfins doubling as both the vertical and horizontal set. Both designs featured internal weapons bays to house current- and next-generation Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs) and an internal gun was to provide a Close-In fighting solution.

Two flyable prototypes of both the YF-22 and YF-23 were ultimately completed and tested against one another extensively. With an edge given to the dimensionally smaller YF-22, the Lockheed submission was declared the winner of the ATF while the YF-23 fell to history. Becoming the F-22A Raptor of today, the design stands as the most sophisticated, yet-unmatched fighter development anywhere in the skies. Despite a planned procurement initiative of as many as 650 F-22A fighters, just 195 were built including test articles.

The first YF-22 prototype was given over to the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum of Edwards AFB in California and currently (2020) lies on display at the Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, while the second ended its days as a static testbed for Lockheed following a crash landing at Edwards AFB in April 1992.

As completed, the YF-22 had an overall length of 64.5 feet, a wingspan of 43 feet, and a height of 19.8 feet. Empty weight was 33,000lb against an MTOW of 62,000lb. Power was served through 2 x Pratt & Whitney YF119-PW-100 or 2 x General Electric YF120-GE-100 afterburning turbofan engines developing 23,500 dry thrust and between 30,000lb and 35,000lb of thrust with reheat.

Performance included a maximum speed of Mach 2.2, a range out to 800 miles, and service ceiling up to 65,000 feet.

In comparison, the production-quality F-22, powered by 2 x F119-PW-100 turbofan engines, can reach speeds of up to Mach 2.25 out to a range of 530 miles (2,000 miles ferry) and up to a ceiling of 65,000 feet. Dimensions vary slightly with a length of 62 feet, a wingspan of 44.5 feet, and a height of 16.7 feet. it saw its combat debut over Syria - in precision bombing sorties of all things - during 2014.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Lockheed Martin - USA
Manufacturer(s)

United States (retired)
Operators

1990
Service Year

United States
National Origin

Retired
Project Status

1
Crew

2
Units

AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

INTERCEPTION
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.

X-PLANE
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

RADAR-CAPABLE
Houses, or can house (through specialized variants), radar equipment for searching, tracking, and engagement of enemy elements.

COUNTERMEASURES
Survivability enhanced by way of onboard electronic or physical countermeasures enacted by the aircraft or pilot/crew.

MULTI-ENGINE
Incorporates two or more engines, enhancing survivability and / or performance.

DIRECTIONAL THRUST
Engine outlet(s) designed to direct thrust to certain angles, achieving enhanced agility.

SUPERCRUISE
Capable of sustained supersonic flight without the need for engine afterburner/reheat enabled.

WING SWEEPBACK
Mainplanes, or leading edges, features swept-back lines for enhanced high-speed performance and handling.

INTERNAL BAY
Fuselage volume includes space for internally-held weapons or special-mission equipment.

HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE
Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.

EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE
Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.

PILOT / CREW EJECTION SYSTEM
Assisted process of allowing its pilot and / or crew to eject in the event of an airborne emergency.

CREWSPACE PRESSURIZATION
Supports pressurization required at higher operating altitudes for crew survival.

64.5 ft
(19.65 meters)
Length

43.0 ft
(13.10 meters)
Width/Span

17.7 ft
(5.40 meters)
Height

33,069 lb
(15,000 kilograms)
Empty Weight

61,994 lb
(28,120 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

+28,925 lb
(+13,120 kg)
Weight Difference

2 x Pratt & Whitney YF119-PW-100 OR 2 x General Electric YF120-GE-100 afterburning turbofan engines developing 23,500lb dry thrust and between 30,000lb and 35,000lb of thrust with reheat.
Propulsion

1,451 mph
(2,335 kph | 1,261 knots)
Max Speed

64,961 ft
(19,800 m | 12 miles)
Ceiling

808 miles
(1,300 km | 702 nm)
Range

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

1 x 20mm M61 internal automatic Gatling-style cannon.

Internal weapons bays mounting AIM-9 and AIM-120 short/medium range Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs).

0
Hardpoints

YF-22 - Base Program Designation; two flyable airframes completed as s/n 87-0799 and 87-0701.

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