|
Raptor 4001, the first F-22 aircraft to fly, retired last November from flight tests at Edwards AFB, California, and headed to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where it will be used for DoD-mandated live-fire testing. Raptor 01 will be mounted on a stand and shot with exploding shells and missile fragments to determine how well it withstands antiaircraft fire. Hydraulic jacks will subject Raptor’s wings to flight-like loads, and a battery of jet engines blowing across the wings will simulate flight speeds in excess of 600 mph. With fuel tanks filled with jet fuel, Raptor’s wings will be shot with munitions a potential enemy might use. |
