F-22 Raptor: The Apex Predator 😈 

@4:35 - "The J-Twentyyyyyy!!" - right when you said that, my monitor and the entire power in my home blinked. That was one very powerful effect from you.

22:41 They missed the opportunity to use the acronym "BACON" and we all know that 🥓 makes everything better.

As a prior F-22 avionics guy, you did a great job, and I honestly couldn't think of a single thing you said that was wrong. I love your channel. Keep it up!

Happy to see you are looking in better health. Yet another great video. I can’t understand why this channel doesn’t have more subscribers.

To avoid reflections of radiation off the surface, the material’s impedance must match the impedance of a vacuum (377 ohms impedance). To absorb the radiation, the material must have electrical resistance.

Your Italian accented _J-20!_ scream cracked me up. 😂

I think I speak for everyone when I say that we always appreciate your efforts to entertain us while we learn. And the hair is on point!

I am a simple man… When i see Millennium7 new video, I am happy. Daje

The kid is getting an upgrade. Maybe one day he will be let out.

The integrity you show by not going after easy clickbait content is awesome, keep it up!

The Best ballon killer known to mankind.

I have absolutely no rational basis for my opinions, but on a gut level, I "liked" the F-22 upon its introduction and "disliked" the F-35 when it was introduced. Good to hear that they're not junking the F-22 (yet). Cheers!

I absolutely love how you present information

The cracked F-22 is a specific F-22 that hadn't gotten maintenance for 18 months. Be it as part of testing to see the effects of neglect and how it affects RAM and RCS, or for other reasons. This F-22 was part of an airshow group iirc, another reason why RAM upkeep wasn't seen as necessary

Brilliant and entertaining. Classic expert Italian Professor - you are one of the few surviving remnants of the greatness of the Roman Empire. The US Air Force (the current faltering “Roman” army) would do well to follow your every word to avoid the fall of the “Empire”.

That EW pod looks a lot like Gripen Es wing tip one too, major difference is that it looks small (but huge on Gripen) - could just be due to plane size...

I enjoyed your use of the term hoovering rather than hovering. Reminds me of the Hoover vacuum cleaner.

Oh, Lord! I was guessing that “open architectures” meant kubernetes. Yes, that’s what we use in the commercial world. Even for realtime processing (low-latency trading platforms). I’m not sure how I feel about embedding it in weapons. It changes CONSTANTLY and the commercial world is fine with that. Sort of.

I'm glad you guys are back from the singularity.

I dont know why, but F22 running on K8s is hilarious to me

I Cant believe it took so many years, and a Ace Combat game, for the USAF to realise they can make Stealthy shaped Fuel Tanks

Could be also that they are experiencing issues or delays with NGAD jets, so rather then retiring the Raptor, they are giving it a stop-gap measure upgrade.

I normally chuckle a bit at your interludes. But getting pulled into the vortex and floating around actually left me laughing out loud.

World's most expensive balloon popper.

I think the issue with the F22 is the total production number. Even if they’re all updated to block 30 the PLAAF will produce that many J20s annually within the next few years. Around 120 aircraft. It’s not enough.

Well done man! Most videos are either very detailed to the point of data overload or just a thin veneer of info that really doesn’t tell you anything. I’ve watched many videos about the Raptor’s update that were either super boring or just limited lip service. Your video on the F-22 is both super informative and entertaining. Well done man!

Great video, once more.

Excellent summary of the planned F-22 upgrades. A joy to watch and well laid out. You are at the top of your game, sir. Thanks and keep up the good work!

Its a pleasure having your videos

what a great video, no clickbait just facts, thank you and subbed.

I loved the spacetime joke. :D

Interesting and entertaining as usual! Thanks! ;)

Enjoyably comprehensive analysis. Much appreciated. : D

Millennium, you make my day every time you post a video, thank you for your somber thoughts and insight

Loads of detail, thanks :)

No matter what the problems were for the F22's, it was the very first 5th Gen fighter in the world, and remains the singular, proven, dominant system operating today - over 25 years since it's inception.

Great video: I learned lots about F22, past, present, future

ngad will not be a major upgrade from the Raptor but marginal upgrade. The Raptor is still superior in maneuverability and some other features.

I work at pratt and whitney, more money goes into engine development than the airframe.. especially when the government says that's good, you met our goal, but.... we need more... back to the drawing board.

I found this video to be thought-provoking and am looking forward to the next one that you and Otis produce.

Very interesting analysis, thank you. Always look forward to your new videos.

You totally got me at like minute five when you switched to the space... Well done sir. Well done

"what are you waiting for! Do it! " I love it

The unmanned option upgrade is very interesting to me. I believe on 2021, lieutenant colonel Randy Gordon lectured an MIT class about the F22. Several times during his lecture he mentioned that, although not unique to the Raptor, its ultimate limitation is the pilot. Now, with the USAF’s current development of its Skyborg program look up AI flown F16), and the F22’s sudden massive upgrade packages, could it be that the Air Force is looking at possibly having unmanned F22s? Although its aerobatic performance limits are highly classified, it has been confirmed that this platform is capable of repeatable sustained 9G maneuvers (upper limits of a pilot). Could the F22’s performance limits be so high that AI integration into this platform could make up for its electronic warfare shortcomings?

First time watcher. Very good presentation. I haven't been involved in this field for nearly a decade. I was surprised to hear that the MK XII IFF still exists.

I remember playing as this in Air Combat 1. Which was the UK name for Ace Combat 1 for people in the know ;) F22 was the beast craft, had the opaque return on the radar and everything!

Love your analysis , you never try to go over the top always straight facts without embellishment thanks my friend :-) :-)

Very comprehensive! Signals between airplanes is simple to a fighter pilot. "Identify or die".

This was a terrific episode, I enjoyed every bit of data, and was only sorry t had to end so soon. With regard to DATA storage, it would surprise me if they have not upgraded to SSD for storage, as the HDD has very specific G-lock limitations, due to its high speed gyroscopic nature. Along with the fancy helmet which circumvents the blocking of the aircraft body, as long as disorientation has been overcome by pilots? Further, the fitment of conformal tanks would be more readily achievable on the YF-23s longer and more sinewed body layout. As an interim measure, I would hope the USAF are considering the concurrency of both the F-22 & YF-23 upgrades.

Got to see one flying at an air show last weekend and it was fantastic

Your differentiated analysis, is exceptional and highly informative.

Nicely done and informative.

Weather balloons have left the chat 🎈

Bravo, loved your diversions to explain terms you weren't going to explain, fun update on the F22.

Thanks for researching and educating us. 🌏👍

As usual, excellent. Thank you sir

Amazing as usual.

Thank You Sir. Great to see you looking well.

Thank you for your video. I have watched and read about the F 22 since the early 90's it has been an interesting story, with still more tale to tell.

Great video!

Anche se alla fine del video mi viene sempre un' po' di mal di testa.... Thank you Millenium 7👏

I thought high off bore sight capability and helmet mounted sights was a key part of the upgrades?

People need to consider this before bashing J20 and Su57 for not being stealthy enough, it seems these weapon systems have been designed not as predominantly as an air superiority fighter, but as part the larger area denial systems they are operating at, specially J20 is clearly a long range quite low visibility fast platform, which considering the operational obligation of pacific theater that requires support platforms such as tankers, awacs, elint and asw assets in large numbers, almost all of the slow platforms, J20 seem to be a hunter designed to catch that kind of prey, stealth is only necessary to be well enough to get them through the BARCAP and back, the impact to the opposition is clearly well planned, imagine the operational strain constant escorting of these many assets will place on the blue force, which will be already hard pressed to keep up with their own frontline operation requirements...

The F-22 is massively overweight. It was supposed to have a takeoff weight in the 55,000lbs range. It in fact has an operational takeoff weight at least 10,000lbs heavier. The resulting loss in performance was so extreme that supposedly 'backing off by 10% in one key area of performance' was needed to bring things back in line. It is often assumed that that mission capability was STOL and reversers for the engines. In any case, the F119 were given larger fans, as part of a preplanned thrust increment which raised engine output to around 28,000lbf military and 39,000lbf in burner. This, in turn, greatly compromised an already borderline internal fuel number of ~19,000lbs. It is worth noting that the YF-23 had ~23,000lbs of fuel and the F-23 would have had more. It was also a much cleaner airframe in terms of wave drag and area rule and so could fly test points at supercruise which the YF-22 could only achieve subsonically. This is important because the ATF was _never about_ replacing the F-15. Certainly not at '35 million each in adjusted 1984 dollars' (you see much the same nonsense reported for the A-12 and later F-35, '35 million' must be a really popular numerological number...). As an always intended 70-100 million dollar airframe, the ATF was to be an airborne sniper, penetrating the WARPAC airspace after a refueling over the North Sea or Kattegat and then flying into GDR or Poland or even Belarus to hit Soviet gorilla packages, forming up to raid Western targets with Su-24/27 and MiG-25BM/Tu-22M. Killing Midas tankers and Mainstay AWACS along the way. Then flying back out to recover into Sweden which had secret treaties with NATO to cooperate, in case of war. This IS an 800nm combat range requirement and it WILL require 400nm in supercruise, just as the ATF key performance parameter specification called for. With the end of the Cold War looming in 1990, the USAF chose to go for the hotrod, 'we can do Cobras too!' alternative and thus envisioned all air battles as being the rough equivalent of the Bekaa Valley, 1982, air combat, at viciously close ranges and 'damn the VLO, full speed ahead!' likely loss of several jets worth of sensitive techint harvesting in turn-and-burn combat. For which the thrust vectoring was seen as appealing to the childish egos of the fighter pilot community in an F-104 like platform which would almost certainly never be purchased in the originally intended numbers, as the threat evaporated. The combination of increasing weight due to VLO demands relative to the YF-23 (the LM fighter had a 'clean sheet' moment in 1986, whereupon the engineers discarded the extant F/A-18/Su-27 hybrid design to start over, the flipped F-117 configuration being much heavier...) and the resultant increase in altitude specific thrust requirement to push it all through the sky hey-wow super maneuvering capacity resulted in a jet that could not meet the original ATF spec for range. When SecAF Rice I think it was, locked himself in a room with a bunch of blue/green/yellow Powerpoint printouts and chose an airframe based on industrial politics of and ego, not asked-for capability, the resulting F-22 gave them exactly the same solution that the F-15 had: hotrod performance deriving from minute man fuel fractions of .28 or so. Except the F-15 could carry almost its internal fuel equivalent in droppable, WRM, 610 gallon tanks. The F-22 could and cannot, if it expects to maintain signature norms. The end result being that it's not suitable for the 'Pacific Theater' because it FAILED operational suitability metrics for the 'European Theater' mission: 800 miles in range within a two hour mission time, half of which would be flown at supercruise. The F-22 is a massive compromise of the original ATF spec. That doesn't mean it's not a really good airframe. But it is one whose operational employment method has changed radically from the original specification. NGAD is happening because the wrong fighter was chosen for the ATF downselect. This applies, not just to the F-22 but also the F-35. If you're going to fly the Andersen to Taipei mission set, you absolutely need the ~900square foot wing area (YF-23, 965sqft; F-22, 840sqft), 70-75,000lb TOW and 70,000lb thrust to do it, in a high efficiency profile condition. The YF-23 would have gotten you there, the YF-22, not so much. It's important to get this right so that the next time an unelected bureaucrat decides to make a decision based on personal favors and industrial base real politick, someone can slap him, trip him, and sit on his chest until the silly notion passes.

nice

Your speculation on the AIM 260 is the reason I am very critical of the F35. Its simply horrible kinematicaly and thus handicaps all weapons giving any oponent a massive developmental advantage. Not only that but its payload bays cant carry a large missile so you cant even sacrafice numbers for range. You are just stuck with mediocre range while others outrange you. And since its an all in development any opponent knows that a true long range missile is just not on the horizon for DECADES out of the US. You basically have to wait for 6th gen mass adoption before the US can field a true long range missile in mass. F22 production lines are long gone and its in limited numbers.

Very good technical content

Great information , super informative

Good video. Again.

I still want an F-22 video from you! even if there are a lots of videos on it i feel like nobody would go so in depth as your vids

Its combat record is unequalled

I aways wondered why two of those small pods were needed if it was IRST but now that EW is mentioned it makes more sense. The other thought I had would be a side looking radar or deployable towed decoys.

4:25 imagine saying this to an impartial audience who spent lot time seeing DCS videos where a F-16 can beat a J-20... that's some balls right there lol

Calling it now. The F22 upgrade programme will be massively over budget and delayed.

It’s kinda crazy to think that the f-22 was so limited to fight modern conflicts. A thoroughbred for sure.

That mean OTIS will receive an update too?

I really liked what you did to your mustache tips. That makes you a mustache aficionado.

Just an excellent brief. Thank you. As I often say, where else could I go to get this information?

Bravissimo. Pls cover the flanker :)

Thank you

NICE

Terrific episode! In addition to what you describe I expect that the stealthy tanks and weapons pods will also use canted pylons to eliminate the 90-degree corner traps. That's an extremely obvious shaping measure that can be taken to eliminate some of the worst RCS properties.

Block 30 = Balloon Targeting System added

It would be interesting if you indicated where the F22 is inferior to the J20 and SU57

Tacking on a bunch of stuff is the same strategy I use for upgrading my motorcycle

The tanks break away clean as well I believe? As in they restore the original return after detach?

Why not shape the tank to match the fuselage' on flush mount slides?!

My dude, I love your shows and that you take time to get into the detail with explanations even I can follow and it fascinates me - so I have no issue with the time as I know it’s time well spent for me :-). ‘Good Job!’ As the septics would say :-)

Thanks boss

Like the new mustache! (Also, great video, as always.)

Please call it the " *F22 Apex-Raptor* " Sounds like the coolest name ever

My bet is on the AI pilot being much more effective on F-22 than on any other aircraft,

HELL YEAH FINALLY F22 VIDEO LESGOOOOOOOO

6:30 There is no problem with going through the transonic region for a missile. It costs the same energy as any other speed.

The information in this video is staggering. The declassified disclaimer at the end...very apropos.

The IRST on FA-18A Super Hornets are in fact fairly large units, which are cryogenically cooled, and I cannot imagine any significant advances in miniaturisation. The far smaller pre cockpit mounted units used by other aircraft models, cannot serve those air forces as completely as the high off bore sight swivelling, available to the USAF/USN aircraft?

Thanks

Just a curiosity. At 18:32 the pilot eject mechanism (I guess) is seen from behind. How come there are scratches and spots where the paint has come off? What could it have been going through? Do they reuse those things?

With my limited knowledge on things like energy density in rocket fuels, missle flight envelope optimization, aerodynamics etc. I often questioned myself where the performance boost from aim260 might actually come from. Especially if the weapons size/volume is limited by the internal bays. Seems like having a Mach 2+ top speed and rapid Acceleration and great climb rate are not traits of combat plane from yesteryears.

J 20 dimensional split 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 just because some can’t handle it