The F-22 will be in service for more than 25 years, or more than 40 years from the time of what was then called the Advanced Tactical Fighter dem/val contract was awarded in 1986.
Projecting that far into the future is difficult and one can get an idea of the magnitude of the challenge by comparing the best U. S. air dominance fighter of 1940, the P-51, with the F-4 25 years later (Steve, 2003). In that time, speeds had quadrupled and weapons and sensors were unlike anything available to the World War II pilot.
Perhaps most importantly this 25 years leap occurred with a revolution in fighter aircraft - the conversion from propellers to jet power. These relatively rare revolutions are marked not by incremental improvements, but rather, profound new directions in design. All of the aircraft from this revolution on will follow the new 'branch' or will be hopelessly outclassed.
It would have been ludicrous in 1945 to argue that the P-51 was the only fighter the U. S. would need for the next 25 years, but in 1945 few people could imagine just how far the science of flight would progress, or the impact of the switch from props to jets. Yet the aircraft designer of today is being asked to make a similar leap (David, 1998).
The F-22 Approach
Rather than a brute force approach with better thrust to weight engines, lower wing loading, sustained or instantaneous turn performance, maximum speed, maximum altitude, or post stall, high angle of attack (AOA) maneuvering; and faced with the realities of reduced defense budgets and fewer fighters in the future, the F-22 team established three basic guidelines for a fighter slated for operations in an uncertain future:
- Exploit Information
- Deny Information to the Enemy
- Overwhelming Lethality....
