Check this for capabilities.
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Vol. 5, No. 9 Eglin AFB, Fla. April 30, 2004
Eagles battle Raptors in skies over Nellis
By Capt. David Small
33rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs Pilots from the 58th Fighter Squadron experienced what it might be like to be a future enemy of the United States when they flew against the F/A-22 Raptor while at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in March. About 300 people, mostly from the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, but also two
controllers from the 728th Air Control Squadron, deployed 16 jets for five weeks supporting the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center’s comparison tests of the F/A-22 and the 53d Wing’s Raptor syllabus support. There, they flew about 100 sorties as the Raptor’s red-air adversaries. Maj. Ryan Luchsinger, the trip’s project officer, flew twice against the Raptor, leading one 8-ship formation pitting the 58th’s Gorillas, acting as Red Air adversaries, in scenarios where they outnumbered the Raptors. A red air adversary’s job is to replicate a known threat, Major Luchsinger said. The F/A-22 side, known as “blue air,” would then attempt to achieve a specific learning objective against those threats. These replications didn’t guarantee the Raptor’s success; rather they created a realistic engagement to ensure blue air met its learning objective. According to AFOTEC, Raptor’s record against the Eagle in these operational tests was 79:0 . Its overwhelming performance, though, didn’t give the major any preconceptions. “We went in to most of those pre-briefs thinking we’re going to do the best job we could, give them the best red air the F-15 can,” he said. Capt. Dave Abba flew against the Raptor five times, calling it “King Kong” against any foreseeable air-to-air threat. He gave an example of a broad scenario with which the Gorillas were faced. The Raptors were in an offensive mindset, providing force protection for other airplanes, Captain Abba said. “The F15s simulated a red threat against them to defend that area. ”Such a scenario describes the
‘kick-down-the-door’ mission of the F/A-22 senior leaders talk about. “As advertised, it’s very good 22’sat what it does for the future of air dominance," Major Luchsinger said. “It’s an incredible airplane.” Captain Abba said the view of the Raptor from his F-15 was an “eye-watering performance,” when combining its integrated avionics, super cruise, stealth and maneuvering potential. of describing the plane’s capabilities “It’s just a combination that nobody’s ever seen before,” Major Luchsinger added, "You get used to certain characteristics of flight and you have a basic understanding of aerodynamics, it's just amazing to see an airplane do what it did." When asked about fighting a stealthy jet Captain Abba referenced the dog-fighting mantra that "if you lose sight, you lose the fight." However with the Raptor, the new mantra will be "if you can't find it, you can't kill it," he said. Both pilots joked about flying the legacy aircraft in these tests, but agreed the deployment was an opportunity to see the F/A-22's capability in the air and to see how the program is developing.
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I think that just about sums it up
RHIN0
