Boeing is teamed with Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney and the U.S. Air Force to develop the F-22 Raptor as a replacement for the F-15. The fast, agile, stealthy F-22 will take over the air superiority role with Air Combat Command starting in 2005. The Air Force plans to procure 339 F-22s, and production is scheduled to run through 2013. 

Mission
The F-22's primary mission is to establish absolute control of the skies over any battlefield — a must-have in modern warfare. It provides first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability. The F-22 is an air superiority fighter with much improved capability over current Air Force aircraft. Its stealth, supercruise ability, integrated avionics and other features will make it the most potent fighter in the world. 

Current Activity
A $9.55 billion contract for F-22 Engineering and Manufacturing Development, or EMD, was awarded to the team in August 1991. Contract changes since then have elevated the contract value to approximately $15 billion. Under the terms of the contract, the F-22 team is completing the design of the aircraft and avionics, building production tooling, and manufacturing and testing nine flight-test and two ground-test aircraft. In December 1998, the U.S. Air Force exercised a firm fixed-price contract option with the Lockheed Martin/Boeing contractor team totaling approximately $189 million for advance procurement of six Low Rate Initial Production aircraft. The production option was exercised less than a week after the Air Force exercised firm fixed-price contract options totaling approximately $503 million for two F-22 production representative test vehicle aircraft and associated program support for calendar year 1999. In December 1999, the F-22 team was awarded contracts totaling more than $1.5 billion to build six additional production representative test veicles. Aircraft deliveries are scheduled to begin in November 2001 and continue through December 2002. 

Raptor Unveiled, Flight Testing Begins
The first F-22 built under the EMD contract was unveiled in a ceremony on April 9, 1997, in Marietta, Ga. First flight took place on Sept. 7, 1997, and in May 1998, Raptor 01 made its formal entry into flight test. The newest F-22, Raptor 03, made its first flight in March 2000 with Boeing pilot Chuck Killberg at the controls. 

Significant flight milestones that have been met include surpassing the Congressionally mandated 183 flight-test hours, supersonic flight, in-flight refueling, weapon release and completing ground-vibration tests and angle-of-attack tests. 

As of April 2000, F-22 pilots at the Combined Test Force, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., have logged 618 hours and 272 flights in the program's three test F-22s. 

Avionics Integration
Boeing, responsible for integrating the Raptor's advanced avionics, has been testing software "blocks" in both its avionics integration lab, or AIL, since 1998, and on its 757 Flying Test Bed, or FTB, since March 1999. Both the AIL and FTB are helping reduce avionics risks and development costs by enabling extensive evaluation and troubleshooting before full avionics are ever installed on the F-22. 

As of April 2000, Boeing has completed more than 15,000 hours of avionics testing in the AIL and 430 hours on the FTB. Boeing delivered the first avionics flight-test package, Block 1.1, to Lockheed Martin ahead of schedule in May 1999. Boeing now is testing an early version of Block 3.0 software on the FTB. 

F-22 Team
The F-22 teaming arrangement has allowed unprecedented industry cost-sharing and taken advantage of the different companies' strengths in advanced technology, production capability and systems integration. Prior to its selection as winner of what was then known as the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition, the F-22 team conducted a 54-month demonstration/validation program. The effort involved the design, construction and flight testing of two YF-22 prototype aircraft. Two prototype engines, the Pratt & Whitney YF119 and General Electric YF120, also were developed and tested during the program. The demonstration/validation program was completed in December 1990. Much of that work was performed by Boeing in Seattle, Wash.; Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) in Burbank, Calif.; and General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) in Fort Worth, Texas. The prototypes were assembled in Lockheed's Palmdale, Calif., facility and made their maiden flights from there. Since that time Lockheed's program management and aircraft assembly operations have moved to Marietta, Ga., for the EMD and production phases. 

Division of Work
Boeing in Seattle, Wash., is responsible for the wings, aft fuselage (including the structures necessary for engine and nozzle installation), avionics integration, 70 percent of mission software, the training system, flight-test development and management, and the training, life-support and fire-protection systems. 

Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems, a division of Lockheed Martin Corporation, based in Marietta, Ga., is responsible for program management, the integrated forebody (nose section) and forward fuselage (including the cockpit and inlets), leading edges of the wings, the fins and stabilators, flaps, ailerons, landing gear and final assembly of the aircraft. 

Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is responsible for the center fuselage; stores management; integrated navigation and electronic warfare systems; the communications, navigation, and identification system; and the weapon support system. 

Boeing Deliveries
As of April 2000, Boeing has delivered 10 sets of wings and 11 aft-fuselages, as well as the first avionics flight-test package and a number of updates to team partner Lockheed Martin.