The United States Air Force has dispatched F-22 Raptor to the Middle East as tensions
with Iran ceases to die down.
The F-22s have arrived at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Thursday
The is the first time F-22s will be in Qatar.
The U.S Air Force did not provide the total number of F-22s deployed but release a picture
that seems to suggest that there at least 5 of them
The Air Force stated, "These aircraft are deployed to Qatar for the first time in order
to defend American forces and interests in the US Central Command area of responsibility,"
The move comes around a week after an Iranian Khordad 3 surface-to-air missile shot down
American RQ 4 Global Hawk drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran stated the drone was in its airspace, but the United States claims that it was over
international waters.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes the deployment F 22 in Qatar to counter Iran.
Let’s get started.
This video is sponsored by War Thunder, the most comprehensive military vehicle online
game for PC, PlayStation4 and Xbox One, in which you can go to battle on more than 1200
playable aircraft, tanks, helicopters and ships from the 1930s to the 1990s.
The game has an amazing attention to detail and focuses on a realistic combat experience,
which is why knowing your vehicles and skill really makes a difference.
It's easy to get into, and all you need to play is nothing more but your mouse and keyboard
or controller.
Immerse yourself in cross-platform combat with more than 20 million other military vehicle
enthusiasts from all over the world . Download and play War Thunder for free using the link
in the description below and also get a free bonus tank or aircraft and three days of premium account.
F 22 will be the tip of the spear.
It is most likely be used to destroy the Iranian air defenses and take out is fighter jets.
This will clear the path for other American aircraft.
So, basically, it will be tasked with achieving air superiority over Iran.
Iran has several types of air defense systems that include indigenous once as well as of
foreign origin.
It has recently showcased indigenously developed Khordad 15 which is thought to be far more
advanced than the Khordad 3.
Apart from these, Iran also has Russian made S-300 which is its most impressive air defense
system.
S 300 can be equipped with radars that are claimed to have the capability to detect even
stealthy aircraft.
It is not known that those radars actually work properly and if Russia has provided them
to Iran or not.
Iran is thought to possess 4 batteries each of S 300 P and S 300 PMU2.
Importantly we have to keep in mind that Iran doesn’t have S 400 which is an upgrade of
S 300 and a better counter for F 22.
It is obvious Iran will try to confront the F 22s with its own fighter jets.
There are around 190 fighter aircraft such as US-made Northrop F5s, F-4 Phantom II, Grumman
F-14 and Russian made Sukhoi Su-22, Sukhoi Su-24, and MiG-29
The MiG-29 is the most modern fighter and Iran operates approximately only 25 of these.
We will now look at 3 reasons why Iran won’t be able to do much against the F 22 Raptor.
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 the
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 reach.
This is possible due to very powerful dual Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 after-burning
turbofan engines F 22 has a speed of Mach 1.82 during super-cruise.
F 22 incorporates super-maneuverability which makes it a capable dogfighter.
Its maneuverability is at the top of the stack and is demonstrated by its ability to pull
off Pugachev’s Cobra maneuver.
Pugachev’s Cobra is a demanding maneuver in which an airplane flying at a moderate
speed suddenly raises the nose to the vertical position and slightly beyond like a cobra’s
hood, before dropping it back to normal flight.
This requires potent engine thrust to maintain approximately constant altitude through the
entire move.
The performance aspect will ensure that F 22 will always be in an advantageous position
when faced by an Iranian fighter.
It is also to be noted that the agility will also be used as a last ditch counter against
Surface to Air missiles, where it will initiate high G maneuver to shrug them off if targeted.
Radar is like an eye for an aircraft.
There was no budget limitation when the AN/APG-77 radar was developed for F 22 Raptor.
No compromises were made and this keeps it at the top even today.
The AN/APG-77 radar features a low-observable, active-aperture, electronically scanned array
that can track multiple targets under any weather conditions.
It has a range of around 400 km against 1 m2 target.
It will give a massive edge to pilots of F 22 and enable them to get the first shot against
Iranian fighter which is a vital aspect of air combat.
It is to be taken into consideration that Air to Air missile available to F 22s are
also much better than what Iran’s fighter will be equipped with.
This will include AIM-9X and AIM 120-D missiles.
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 have
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 F 22 attack.
It will be important when confronted with Iran’s cache of Air Defense systems.
For offense against Air Defense platforms, F 22 will deploy the AGM-88 HARM.
The AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-radiation Missile) is a tactical, air-to-surface anti-radiation
missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar
systems.
It has a range of 150 km and 92 miles and has a speed of over Mach 2.
The fire and forget capability of the missile allows weapon engagement at stand-off ranges.
F 22 Raptor is developed from grounds up to be stealthy.
F22 is the stealthiest fighter ever build & has 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.
So, it can strike without the enemy knowing it is there in the first place.
Also, it must be noted that even if when some new advanced radars are able to detect it,
its signature is so small that it very hard to track and get a radar lock.
It is the most likely situation that Iran's air defense will be faced when it tries to
target the F 22s.
The same thing is applicable to Iranian pilots who will find it very difficult to detect
and target the F 22s.
Addition of F22 is the latest in high profile deployment that includes USS Abraham Lincoln
aircraft carrier strike group, B-52 Stratofortress & Patriot air defense batteries.
It is to be noted that even today F 22 can’t be exported to any country as per Federal
Law.
Even Japan's request for F 22 which is a close U.S ally was also rejected.
F 22’s deployment will act a deterrence against any misadventure.
It is interesting to note that the U.S Air Force has “Rapid Raptor” program
The program is designed to enable quick deployment of F 22 Raptor.
It basically aims to have a small contingent of 4 F 22s in always ready state so that they
can be pressed into service in case a sudden need for mission arrises.
This strategy is intended to reinforce programs the “Rapid Raptor”, by ensuring that the
deployed F-22s operate with full capability.
Rapid Raptor was developed by Air Force Pacific Command but has now been expanded to a global
level by Air Combat Command.
So, technically going forward the U.S would be able to bring to the table around 9 Raptors
at any moment against Iran.
This is a significant force and can inflict massive damage to Iran’s Air Defense Systems
as well as its Air Force.