11/20/2022 0 Comments F 22 raptor artThe thin and cold air at that altitude, as well as the angle at which most sensors would view such a target, against the dark and cold background of the upper atmosphere, could be very beneficial for trialing these systems. The F-22 could be a highly prized target platform for these types of tests because of its performance - namely, its ability to fly at upward of 60,000 feet with regularity. This includes laser systems intended to be fielded aboard fighter aircraft. The testing of various laser systems is also becoming extremely aggressive, as well as part of a larger push to move directed-energy concepts into an operational state. These tests have been in conjunction with the Skyborg aerial artificial intelligence initiative and larger highly advanced testing scenarios. Of unique note is ongoing testing of multiple General Atomics Avenger unmanned combat air vehicles sporting Legion IRST pods that has been occurring over the Mojave Desert. There is a tremendous amount of testing currently ongoing on infrared search and track systems (IRSTs) that are in the early processes of being widely fielded by the Air Force and the Navy, as well as developmental work on emerging aerial laser systems. At the time, we posited that this could be for testing advanced infrared sensors and even possible low-power laser systems and their targeting capabilities against a 'mirrored' target. It had a similar patchwork quality to what we are seeing here on the F-22. In June 2020, The War Zone exclusively reported that one of Scaled Composites Model 401 "Son Of Ares" demonstrators had flown a number of test flights over Naval Air Weapons Center China Lake covered in a highly reflective metallic coating. It just so happens that we have seen something uncannily similar before, but on an even more exotic airframe. While what we are exactly seeing here is still up for debate, it looks like the Raptor in question has a mosaic of reflective material applied to its normal skin for some sort of testing purpose. Note how the coating has been carefully applied to not interfere with the jet's many key access points, sensor and antenna areas, and other critical systems. While the F-22 can look drastically different when its intricate skin coating and delicate composite stealthy structures are in various states of repair, one sporting polished metal has never been seen before, nor does it make any outright operational sense. The aircraft is seen largely covered in a tile-like reflective metallic coating that is unlike anything we have seen on a Raptor ever before. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighter was caught in the camera lens of talented aviation photographer Santos Caceres as it blasted out of Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada on the morning of Nov.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |