The cost and the extent of the damage has not been revealed. The pilot safely got out of the aircraft and there were no other injuries. The US Air Force has released the results of its investigation into the crash of a fighter jet, revealing the mishap was due to a common error by a TOPGUN student during a graduation exercise at a Nevada military base in AprilĪfter the pilot brought the landing gear up, seconds after leaving the runway, the plane began to sink back down. The crash prompted a retraining of all pilots using the aircraft to prevent more blunders in the future. The F-22 took off going 23 knots below the recommended speed, which was fast enough to leave the ground but too slow to keep the plane in the air. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Board concluded that the pilot crashed the plane because the pilot brought the nose up to early, failed to reach the right speed for take off and prematurely retracted the landing gear. Photos taken at the scene show the F-22A Raptor lying on the tarmac with its landing gear up. The student, using the callsign 'Topgun 65', was preparing for a training flight to perform BFM (Basic Fighter Maneuvers) against an F-18 Hornet when the aircraft ended up crashed at the Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, on April 13, 2018. The main bay is covered by two thermoset composite bifold doors that open outward.An Air Force rookie pilot crashed a $140million F-22 stealth fighter jet on the runway right after takeoff because they took off too slowly and pulled the nose up too early, an investigation has revealed. The AIM-120 (which has no official nickname, but is called "Slammer" by pilots) is carried internally in the F-22's main weapons bay, which is located on the underside of the fighter tucked under the inlets. The missile has multiple-target engagement capability, increased maximum launch range, a reduced-smoke rocket motor, and improvements in maintenance and handling. The AIM-120 was developed to provide an all-weather, all-launch environment capability not only for the F-22, but for the Air Force's in-service F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Navy's F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet as well.
The F-22's primary weapon is the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). Hydraulics controls the operation of these doors, which must swing open in an instant to allow the missile to be deployed in a fraction of a second. Missiles are stowed inside main and side weapon bays. Vickers main (shown at left) and side weapons bay door actuator systems.
A 480-round ammunition feed and storage subsystem is housed under the right wing for easy ammo upload and download of empty casings. A gun door, located in the wing root area, is hydraulically controlled to open before the gun can be fired, which allows the rounds and blast pressure to clear the muzzle.
The system is integrally mounted in the aircraft on its starboard side between the top side of the wing and the fuselage.
Hydraulics has a hand in multiple functions of the Raptor its 4000-psi system plays a role in rudder control, landing gear, nose wheel steering, flight control surfaces, and weaponry.Ī hydraulic gun drive for the M61 A2 20-mm Vulcan cannon, is comprised of two discrete component subassemblies integrated into one assembly and provides rotary power to the 6-barrel gun when commanded by a computer signal or manual input. The F-22 is capable of carrying existing and planned air-to-air weapons, including medium-range missiles - such as the AIM-120A - and short-range missiles such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder. The F-22's primary objective is to establish complete control of the skies - and it does this via the latest technology in low observables, avionics, materials, engine performance, aerodynamic design, sensor capability, and of course, weaponry. Unveiled last year, the fighter was developed by a team of individuals from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, and the U.S. The F-22 Raptor is scheduled to take over the air dominance role with the Air Combat Command from the F-15 Eagle in 2004. F-22 Raptor, shown in test flight, is designed to command complete control of the skies.