MARIETTA, Ga.--- After more than four months of being subjected to intense stress, F-22 Raptor 3999 has -- ahead of schedule -- successfully completed 100 percent design limit load testing here at Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems (LMAS). "The design limit loading sequence on 3999 was completed on Saturday, 25 September,'' Jeffrey Rowe, F-22 ground test manager said. "The F-22 airframe structure has now been successfully tested to all planned static design limit conditions.'' Saturday's test -- a combination of fuselage mechanical loading with pressurization of the inlet ducts to simulate a hammershock condition -- was the last of 18 design limit test cases to be performed on 3999 since testing began in late May. "Design limit load testing of the airframe has demonstrated that the complete structure is capable of carrying, without damage, the design loads the aircraft will encounter in its operational flight envelope,'' LMAS vice president and F-22 program general manager Bob Rearden said. "Data from these tests will also be used to validate and refine the computerized finite element structural analyses used in F-22 design.'' Destined never to fly, Raptor 3999 is a static test article used to verify and certify the F-22's structural design integrity and the analyses used to establish the aircraft's structural capabilities. "Static testing has been crucially important to the F-22's engineering and manufacturing development phase,'' Rearden added. During the tests, a team of test engineers, technicians, and mechanics under Static Test Lead Engineer Kevin Cumbie reproduced, recorded and measured responses to the structural loads an F-22 will be subjected to during flight and by other conditions throughout the aircraft's operation. Examples of static testing includes the application of simulated aerodynamic and inertial loading on the F-22's wings, vertical tails and fuselage structures, in combination with fuel tanks, cockpit, and inlet ducts pressurization. The F-22 Raptor is being developed to counter lethal threats posed by advanced surface-to-air missile systems and next generation fighters equipped with launch-and-leave missiles. It is widely regarded as the most advanced fighter in the world, combining a revolutionary leap in technology and capability with reduced support requirements and maintenance costs. It will replace the F-15 as America's front-line, air superiority fighter, with deliveries to operational units beginning in 2002. The F-22's combination of stealth, integrated avionics, maneuverability and supercruise will give Raptor pilots a first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability against the aircraft of any potential enemy. The F-22 is designed to provide not just air superiority, but air dominance, winning quickly and decisively with few U.S. casualties. The Raptor also has an inherent air-to- ground capability. Lockheed Martin leads the contractor team working closely with the U.S. Air Force on the F-22 program. Air vehicle team members include LMAS, Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems in Fort Worth, Texas, and Boeing. Pratt & Whitney provides the Raptor with its F119 supercruise engines.
