http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123030185

The the night hawk is retiring, replaced by the "Spirit" and "Lightning II" (the "Raptor" does air-to-air and the night hawk only does ground attack), what an amazing bird that changed the design for military aircraft today and tomorrow. Sleep well in your desert birth and resting place oh hopeless diamond, sleep well.

I was wondering if anyone could find testimony from the pilots on there first impressions of the 'goblin'? Anyone have any thoughts on the future of stealth?

The F-22 is highly maneuverable, at both supersonic and subsonic speeds. The F-22's thrust vectoring nozzles allow the aircraft to turn tightly, and perform extremely high alpha (angle of attack) maneuvers such as the Herbst maneuver (or J-turn), Pugachev's Cobra,[29] and the Kulbit, though the J-Turn is more useful in combat.[29] The F-22 is also capable of maintaining a constant angle of attack of over 60°, yet still having some control of roll.[29][30] During June 2006 exercises in Alaska, F-22 pilots demonstrated that cruise altitude has a significant effect on combat performance, and routinely attributed their altitude advantage as a major factor in achieving an unblemished kill ratio.[31]

The F-22 is capable of functioning as a "mini-AWACS." Though reduced in capability compared to dedicated airframes such as the E-3 Sentry, as with its threat identification capability, the F-22's forward presence is often of benefit.[29] The system allows the F-22 to designate targets for cooperating F-15s and F-16s, and even determine if two friendly aircraft are targeting the same enemy aircraft, thus enabling one of them to choose a different target.[31][29] It is often able to identify targets hundreds of times faster than accompanying dedicated AWACS.[31]

The F-22 apparently relies less on maintenance-intensive radar absorbent material and coatings than previous stealth designs like the F-117. These materials caused deployment problems due to their susceptibility to adverse weather conditions.[44] Unlike the B-2, which requires climate-controlled hangars, the F-22 can undergo repairs on the flight line or in a normal hangar.[44] Furthermore, the F-22 has a warning system (called "Signature Assessment System" or "SAS") which presents warning indicators when routine wear-and-tear have degraded the aircraft's radar signature to the point of requiring more substantial repairs.[44] The exact radar cross section of the F-22 remains classified.

The F-22 is claimed by several sources to be the world’s most effective air superiority fighter. The US Air Force claims that the F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.[1] Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Air Marshal Angus Houston, said in 2004 that the "F-22 will be the most outstanding fighter plane ever built."[5]

I guess that says it all, doesn't it, if not there's even more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-22_Raptor

And that has to do with the price of cheese how? The F22 is dedicated air-to-ari supremacy, it was not designed for attacking ground targets hence it is not the replacement for the F117, the B2 and F35 are.

The F-22 is claimed by several sources to be the world’s most effective air superiority fighter. The US Air Force claims that the F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.[1] Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Air Marshal Angus Houston, said in 2004 that the "F-22 will be the most outstanding fighter plane ever built."[5]


SU30 ain't that bad either: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1N-VgAnd_A

And that has to do with the price of cheese how? The F22 is dedicated air-to-ari supremacy, it was not designed for attacking ground targets hence it is not the replacement for the F117, the B2 and F35 are.

I thought that the "Wart Hog" was the plane for that kind of operation??? Also the new UFV are coming online as well.

I thought that the "Wart Hog" was the plane for that kind of operation??? Also the new UFV are coming online as well.

The F35 is likely to replace the A10 if/when an appropriate replacement in firepower can be created for the GAU-8 Gatling Cannon (that things is wicked!) there talk of putting a laser cannon in the F35 where the lift fan would go in the VTOL variant, not as explosively amazing as the GAU-8 but far more accurate, and minimal collateral damage is the name of the game these days.

http://www.you.com.au/news/1275.htm