While the feature was not fielded to operational units, the F-22 has also the capability to carry AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles externally.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor has been recently spotted while flying in an interesting, rarely seen configuration. The photo, sent to us by aviation photographer Fred Taleghani, shows the F-22 flying with two external racks equipped with an inert AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) each.
The aircraft, followed by another one in a clean configuration, was about to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Aug. 8, 2024. Both F-22 were assigned to the 411th Flight Test Squadron and were possibly returning from a mission over the Panamint Valley.
The external installation of weapons on the F-22 is not new, as it was tested in the early 2000s as part of the U.S. Air Force’s requirements. Specifically, the service asked for two basic configurations with external loads, one with only two 600 gallon external fuel tanks (EFT) and one with both the two tanks and four AIM-120 missiles.
The configuration with only the EFTs can be commonly seen when F-22s deploy abroad, but sometimes they can also be seen on Alaskan F-22s during Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) missions. The Raptor’s EFT are designed to be jettisoned together with their pylon, if needed, giving back to the aircraft some stealthiness and performance.
On the other hand, operational units have never been seen with missiles installed externally. This configuration was only seen on test aircraft flying with one CATM-120 (the inert variant of the AMRAAM) under each outer pylon, without the EFTs on the inner pylons.
According to the few info available, the AIM-120s are installed on LAU-128 missile rails, for a total of four missiles that can be carried externally. The LAU-128 can also accept AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, however the weapon was never seen installed externally on the Raptor.
While we don’t know the reason behind the test flight, it’s easy to imagine that this could have been either a training mission for the USAF Test Pilot School or a test mission related to the upgrades currently being developed for the F-22.
The F-22 upgrades
Some of the upgrades expected for the F-22 Raptor were unveiled in the Fiscal Year 23 budget request documentation and in an official artwork shared by Gen. Mark Kelly, then Commander of Air Combat Command. In the artwork we can see three Raptors loaded with new stealthy external fuel tanks, two underwing faceted pods and a new unknown air-to-air missile, but there are even more novelties in the documents, which unveils a previously undisclosed relationship between the F-22 and the development of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD).
Two years after the upgrades were announced, we might have gotten, earlier this year, the first glimpse of the new stealthy external fuel tanks being developed for the F-22 Raptor. The aircraft was, in fact, spotted near the Mojave Air and Space Port and shows the Raptor with two fuel tanks, whose shape is reminiscent of the one shown in 2022.
The new tanks are officially known as Low Drag Tank and Pylon (LDTP) and designed to be stealthier and more aerodynamically efficient than the current 600-gallon fuel tanks. In the FY2023 budget request, the Air Force mentioned that the F-22 LDTPs are advanced technological designs providing increased persistence and range while maintaining lethality and survivability, critical to future mission execution and to maintaining Air Superiority.
The low drag tanks are intended to reduce drag, facilitate supersonic flight with external tanks and extend the range of the F-22. The pylons are equipped with smart rack pneumatic technology to accurately control ejection performance and smooth wind swept surface for minimum drag without store.
The two pods installed under the outer underwing hardpoints have already been spotted during flight testing on an F-22 at the Air Force’s Plant 42 facility in Palmdale, California, in February 2022. The latest budget documents mention an InfraRed Search and Track (IRST) sensor being developed for the F-22, which could be the sensor housed inside the two pods, although they could host also other capabilities in addition to the IRST.
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In July 2024 we got an up-close look at one of the pods installed under a Rockwell Sabreliner 65 testbed after a test campaign at Nellis AFB, Nevada. It would have been expected to see some kind of transparent surface associated with the IRST, however the surfaces on the nose of the pod appeared to be opaque. We cannot exclude that there are two different variants of the pod, depending on the equipment inside.
The last upgrade featured in the artwork is a new unknown air-to-air missile. While there are a number of air-to-air missile programs in the works, it is possible that the one in the image could be a representative design, which may or may not correspond to the real deal, for the highly secretive AIM-260 missile. So far, the missile has never been depicted in any kind of image and details about the program are very scarce.
The development of the AIM-260, also called Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, was first unveiled in 2019 and has been in the works at least since 2017. The goal of the new long-range air-to-air missile is to replace the AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) and counter the threat posed by the Chinese PL-15 missile, while avoiding any foreign threats being able to outrange the AIM-120.
Among the few known technical details, the new missile will be compatible with the AMRAAM dimensions, but obviously with greater range, and is planned to be carried in the F-22 weapons bay and on the F/A-18 at first, with the F-35 to follow. Flight tests are already in progress and the missile is expected to be fielded by next year. Because of these reasons, it would be reasonable to suppose that the one shown in the image could be at least a hint at the AIM-260.
Other upgrades mentioned in the budget request are a Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), Link 16 and Multifunction Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS), a new Operational Fight Program, advanced radar Electronic Protection, Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System (INS) Modernization (EGI-M), Open System Architecture (OSA), new encrypted radios.
A new helmet is also being tested by F-22 pilots, as part of the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet program to replace the current HGU-55P helmet, which has been the standard issued helmet for the last 40 years. The goal is to provide pilots a more comfortable, stable, and balanced platform to accommodate helmet-mounted devices usage without imposing neck strain and discomfort to the user.
Despite various integration efforts in the past, the F-22 is not equipped yet with a helmet that provides the essential flight and weapon aiming information through line of sight imagery: the shape of the Raptor’s canopy, optimized to preserve Low Observability, doesn’t allow enough range of motion and minimum visibility to a pilot wearing the JHMCS or the Scorpion.
Thanks again to Fred Taleghani for allowing us to use his photo and make sure to follow him on Instagram at FreddyB Aviation Photography for more!
