Ukraine has requested the U.S and NATO to impose a 'No Fly Zone' multiple times in many
different forums.
But as the situation stands now, there is a limited possibility that such an action
will be initiated to help Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has made it clear, “We are not part of this
conflict”.
But the scenario can change anytime.
For example, Poland which is a NATO nation has been the gateway through which weapons
are being supplied to Ukraine and the Kremlin has warned the west that arms shipments are
a legitimate military target.
Air Combat Analyst Connor Hall, suggested to theaviationgeekclub.com that “8-12 Raptors
could sanitize the skies over Ukraine within an hour.”
and there are good reasons for this assertion.
Raptor is designed for "First Look, First Shot, First Kill"
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why it will take only a squadron of F-22 Raptors
to enforce a No-Fly Zone over Ukraine?
Let's get started.
Russian aircraft won't be able to escape detection by Raptor
There was no budget limitation when the AN/APG-77 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array)
radar was developed for the F-22.
No compromises were made and this keeps it at the top even today.
The AN/APG-77 radar features a low-observable radar , that can track multiple targets under
any weather conditions.
It has a range of around 400 km or around 250 miles against a 1 m2 target.
This radar can also be used for electronic-attack by focussing its signals on the enemy to overload
their sensors.
The radar changes frequencies more than 1,000 times per second to resist jamming and has
a Low Probability of Intercept.
Low Probability of Intercept means the enemy radar warning receivers are not able to detect
that a radar lock has been achieved against it and hence opponents have little warning
of an impending attack.
With AN/APG-77, F-22 Raptor can gather a lot of data and some experts have said that the
Raptor pilot has a "God’s Eye View” of the battlespace.
Contrary to this, Russians are still struck with PESA (Passive Electronically Scanned
Array) radar which is a generation older technology.
Even countries like Algeria have rejected the Su-35 due to this deficiency
While Raptor can see an enemy first, it cant be easily seen by the Russians.
F 22 Raptor is developed from the grounds up to be stealthy.
F22 is the stealthiest fighter ever built & has a very low RCS (Radar Cross Section)
of only 0.0001 m2.
It achieves this due to its structural design as well as the use of Radar Absorbing Materials
(RAM).
It can’t be detected by most radars.
Even if some radars are able to detect it, they will find it very hard to track it and
have a radar lock.
Viewers may note that to target an aircraft, quality tracking is needed so that the missiles
can be guided towards it.
Hence, Raptor can strike without the enemy knowing it is there in the first place.
Russia has no operational stealth fighter and its so-called 5th generation stealth fighter
Su-57 has been rejected by India due to questionable 'low observable' characteristics.
As per some analysis, Su-57 has an RCS of 0.05 m2 which makes it around 500 times larger
on the radar when compared to F-22
Raptor has also got Link 16 installed.
With Link 16, military aircraft as well as ships and ground forces can exchange their
tactical pictures in near-real-time.
Link 16 also supports the exchange of text messages, imagery data and provides two channels
of digital voice (2.4 kbit/s and/or 16 kbit/s in any combination).
Viewers may note that Russia has deployed at-least two S-400 battalions - which typically
include eight anti-aircraft missile systems each - to Belarus.
From there, S-400 has been able to knock out Ukrainian fighters, one of such hits is thought
to be from a range of 150 km or around 93 miles.
Using its low observable characteristics and Link 16, Raptor can help locate Russian air
defense systems like S-400 and set them up for strikes.
F -22 Raptor is the first operational aircraft to combine super-cruise and super-maneuverability.
Supercruise is the ability to have sustained supersonic flight without having to use highly
inefficient afterburners.
With this F-22 can intercept targets which subsonic aircraft would lack the speed to
pursue and an afterburner-dependent aircraft would lack the fuel to catch.
This is possible due to the very powerful dual Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 after-burning
turbofan engines.
F-22 has a speed of Mach 1.82 during super-cruise.
It can be equipped with proven Beyond Visual Range Air to Air missiles like AIM-120D AMMRAM
to knock out Russian fighters and attack aircraft.
The AIM-120D is the latest development of the AMRAAM missile family designed and built
by America's Raytheon.
It includes several new enhancements for improved performance.
This includes a two-way data link, superior navigation through a GPS-enhanced Inertial
Measurement Unit, a much larger no escape zone and improved high-angle off-boresight
capability apart from an increase in range by 50%.
AIM-120D's range is thought to be about 167 km or 105 miles.
Even the premier Russian fighter like Su-35, won't be able to escape from this fighter
and missile combo.