XF-22 RAM development aircraft

[Miko]

F-22 what if scenario 1

With the ongoing agreement between US Department of Defense and the UK Government's MoD to share intelligence and advanced technologies, Dstl (defence science and technology laboratory) at Porton Down invited Lockheed Martin's Advanced Projects Division to collaborate in the development of their 'radar absorbent materials' research, after negotiations an XF-22 was shipped to Boscombe Down UK for trails,
The applied coating utilises the properties of ionised Titanium Dioxide over a Niobuim base, the electromagnetic energy is deflected having it's wavelength altered beyond the sensitivity of S,Ku and X band radar receivers thus obfuscating a radar cross section more efficiently than conventional 'iron ball' paint.

This Misterkit F-22 isn't for the connoisseur of accuracy and detail it's quite crude confusing to construct, perhaps typical of short run kits of it's era, however if you feel the need to develop your modelling skills and need a challenge this one might be for you, at less than twenty pounds delivered it's a great candidate for 'what if' where your imagination can soar!

Miko (this one will now be striped back to prepare for scenario 2, spoiler alert, this will involve JASDF)

 

[Gern]

Beautiful

 

[boatman]

yes Miko that 22 or RAPTOR looks good pity we dint have any in real as i see these raptors at lakenheth when they came here an boy were they a hot aircraft as the niose went straight through you an they had oblong jet pipes an covers over the engines when comin into land as we watched a whole sqr of them land an take off an they in my opion were on par with our EE LIGHTNIG god what a plane brilliant they were
chrisb

 

[Tim Marlow]

Nice clean looking F22. Pity DSTL don’t do that sort of research really…..

 

[A_J_Rimmer]

Very cool!

 

[Miko]

Nice clean looking F22. Pity DSTL don’t do that sort of research really…..

No one without full clearance knows what goes on behind the security gates at Porton Down

Miko (level A1 clearance in the what if universe)

 

[Miko]

After successfully completing trails at Boscombe Down it was decided by the US Dept of Defense to allow the JASDF to trial the airframe, The Japanese government campaigned hard to acquire the F-22 or to be granted a licence to build their own as they had done with Mitsubishi Heavy Industry licence building US types such as F104 F4 and F15, However the National Security Agency advised against exporting such classified technology, While developing the Mitsubishi F2, the 'Super F-16 Lockheed Martin was compelled under the auspicies of 'national security' to withhold data to enable Mitsubishi to develop the F2a to it's fullest potential. With the political climate once more tuning belligerent with the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 North Korean nuclear tests and Chinese incursions into Taiwanese air and sea space brought about a decision to allow close allies to access more sensitive data. The YF-22 being an early aerodynamic demonstrator of low observable 'stealth' technology which by then had become widely understood, the aircraft had little operational hardware installed just flight control systems.
The aircraft was stowed in the lower decks of HMS Queen Elizabeth for CSG21 arriving at Yokohama Naval Base early September 2021, the Aircraft was disembarked and taken by rail to Gifu Air Base in central Japan for flight preparation by representatives of Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Mitsubishi HI, The first flight was to Chitose Air Base in Hokkiado in the far north of the country,(close to Hakodate airport famous for the 1976 MiG25 defection by Lt Viktor Belenko) here it is was to fly a 'red' operations simulating attacks from Russia over the sea of Japan, it was believed the YF-22 would have similar low observable characteristic to the Suhkoi Su 57 PAK FA, thus allowing valuable data to be collated for JASDF F-15's and F2a fighters in detection and interception of stealth aircraft.

https://i.postimg.cc/Qdpy3zBB/JASDF-F-22-3.jpg[/img[

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/s2mHBZ4s/JASDF-F-22-4.jpg

Miko (currently stripping paint ready for scenario 3)