The Raptor Is Now A Fighter: F/A-22 Gun Integration Testing

Vanessa Rebello, F/A-22 Flight Test Engineer
Richard Huffman, F/A-22 Flight Test Engineer
James Brown III, F/A-22 Test Pilot

Abstract

The F/A-22 is now a fighter! Tactical aviation has come a long way since initial air-to-air gun employment. The F/A-22 Raptor is an air dominance fighter with fully integrated fly-by-wire flight controls and thrust vectoring engines that combine to ensure the Raptor’s superior agility and combat lethality for the close-in air-to-air mission. In engagements of this nature, the gun has been the historical weapon of choice. This paper discusses the F/A-22’s journey of gun testing from the ground up. The F/A22 represents an airborne application of the M61A2 20mm cannon, a derivative of the same gun used in the F-104, F-4, F-15 and F-16, and the first use of a gun on a Low Observable aircraft. Integrating a gun on the Raptor presented challenges from bay ventilation, handling qualities, structures and even software. This paper presents the steps, techniques, discoveries and lessons learned during recent testing to integrate the gun, completing the Raptor’s air-to-air weaponry.