Photo: USAF
Lockheed Martin once called the F-22 Raptor the definition of air dominance. Inducted into service in 2005, the stealth tactical fighter is one of the newest military planes in existence, one that still has a Demonstration Team ready to advertise it at air shows across American.
Just like the demo team behind the F-35A, this unit was established as a tool to show the aircraft’s capabilities in front of the world. The team’s latest outing was at Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival in Battle Creek, Michigan, where this photo was taken and released last week by the U.S. Air Force (USAF).
It shows the F-22 while performing one of its maneuvers there, one that got it with its behind to the camera, making it possible for all of us to see the afterburners of the twin Pratt & Whitney engines - a perfect still for our Photo of the Day section.
This particular aircraft is so exciting to see in the air because it is so rare. Only about 200 of them were made before America pulled the plug on its production in 2011, and will probably never resume it again.
Despite the low numbers made on account of the thing’s cost, the lack of enemy countries to use it against, a ban on exports, and other reasons, the F-22 is still seen as one of the most advanced military airplanes ever made.
Its engines give it a speed of Mach 2 (1,534 mph/2,469 kph), it can fly at altitudes of over 50,000 feet (15 km), and has a range of 1,841 miles (2,962 km). These numbers mean that if it had to, such a plane could cover roughly the distance between Boston and Dallas in just one hour (average civilian flight time is over four hours).
The F-22 is armed with a Vulcan rotary cannon and hardpoints that can hold drop tanks or air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.
It shows the F-22 while performing one of its maneuvers there, one that got it with its behind to the camera, making it possible for all of us to see the afterburners of the twin Pratt & Whitney engines - a perfect still for our Photo of the Day section.
This particular aircraft is so exciting to see in the air because it is so rare. Only about 200 of them were made before America pulled the plug on its production in 2011, and will probably never resume it again.
Despite the low numbers made on account of the thing’s cost, the lack of enemy countries to use it against, a ban on exports, and other reasons, the F-22 is still seen as one of the most advanced military airplanes ever made.
Its engines give it a speed of Mach 2 (1,534 mph/2,469 kph), it can fly at altitudes of over 50,000 feet (15 km), and has a range of 1,841 miles (2,962 km). These numbers mean that if it had to, such a plane could cover roughly the distance between Boston and Dallas in just one hour (average civilian flight time is over four hours).
The F-22 is armed with a Vulcan rotary cannon and hardpoints that can hold drop tanks or air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.
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