Raptor Scores Direct Hit During Supersonic, High-Altitude JDAM Drop

Released on Monday, June 12, 2006

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor air dominance fighter, flying at a speed of Mach 1.5 and an altitude of 50,000 feet, released a GPS-aided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) from a range of 24 nautical miles, destroying a small ground target in the F-22's fastest and highest JDAM delivery yet.

This was another milestone testing event for the Combined Test Force of Lockheed Martin, The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and U.S. Air Force pilots who conducted the joint developmental and operational test in early May at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, using a 1,000-pound Mk-83 JDAM with live warhead supplied by Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The ability to release a munition at supersonic speeds and standoff ranges greatly enhances the aircrew's survivability against heavily defended targets.

Success of the standoff delivery is due in part to the Raptor avionics' ability to compute and display an accurate Launch Acceptability Region (LAR), the area in the sky from which the pilot can release a weapon to successfully attack the desired target. The LAR supersonic algorithm, developed by a Boeing collaboration of F-22, Phantom Works and JDAM engineers, factors in navigation, weather, target and weapon information.

The F-22 is capable of dominating any adversary through an unmatched combination of stealth, supercruise speed, agility and precision strike, together with a complete view of the battlespace provided by an advanced sensor suite and integrated avionics. The Raptor will enable combat commanders to change the way wars are fought over the next 40 years.

Prime contractor Lockheed Martin has delivered 71 F-22s to the Air Force, with 107 Raptors on contract. The fighter is currently assigned to four bases across the United States:

Testing is conducted at Edwards AFB, California. Tactics development takes place at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Pilots and maintenance teams receive training at Tyndall AFB, Florida. Operational F-22s of the 1st Fighter Wing are assigned to two squadrons at Langley AFB, Virginia.

A GPS-aided near-precision weapon, the JDAM guidance kit is capable of guiding inventory bombs ranging from 500 to 2,000 pounds. JDAM has been used extensively in global operations by the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Since 1998, Boeing has produced more than 140,000 JDAM guidance kits for the U.S. and 15 international customers.