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 The F-22 Combined Test Force completed another major program milestone in September when Air Force test pilot Maj. Brian Ernisse launched a radar-guided advanced-medium-range air-to-air missile and successfully scored a lethal hit on an unmanned target aircraft. The test, using Raptor 4005, proves the aircraft’s avionics suite can track and destroy a target. “This first guided-missile launch shows that the avionics system is well on the way to supporting the F-22’s ability to find and identify an adversary, shoot before the adversary, and obtain the kill,” said Col. Chris Seat, the F-22 combined test director. “We call this ‘first look, first shoot, first kill,’ and this capability will ensure the United States has the overwhelming advantage in any future potential conflicts.” The flight test was performed over the Pacific Missile Test Range, which runs along the southern California coastline, at about 40,000 feet, and at subsonic airspeed. |
