https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...tion-movie-set
F-22A Raptor is still as much of a modern marvel as it was when it entered
service a decade and a half ago, but nothing about the world's first 5th
generation stealth super-fighter, or really any modern fighter aircraft for that
matter, is simple or cheap. Case in point, the place where the Raptor's
600-gallon external fuel tanks are stored at Langely AFB in Virginia, one of the
USAF's biggest Raptor nests. Dubbed the Vertical Tank Storage System (VTSS), the
indoor installation is like one of those dry cleaning conveyor racks, but it
holds massive external fuel tanks, not shirts and sport coats. It was just
featured in a number of cool photos from the 1st Fighter Wing's public affairs
folks.
The F-22 uses massive 600-gallon wing tanks to extend its range for missions
where low-observability (stealth) is not a primary necessity. For instance,
Raptors that sit alert in Alaska fly with the wing tanks as their intercept
missions can cross vast distances over long periods. This is in addition to
having a support tanker launched during scambles. They are also used when F-22s
are ferried to overseas operating locations.
The tanks on the F-22 are actually made to be jettisoned with their pylons
attached. This allows F-22 pilots to 'buy-back' some stealthiness, as well as
higher performance, on-demand.
Seeing as these big wing tanks are a critical part of the stealth fighter's
capability set, they need to be stored somewhere. This is where the VTSS comes
in.
Where traditionally drop tanks have been stored mainly outdoors laid or stacked
on the ground in cradles, or in shed-like structures, bringing them indoors and
hanging them vertically on an automated rack saves space, improves the condition
and longevity of the tanks, makes them more accessible in any weather
conditions, and above all else, it saves time and lowers the amount of airman
you need to handle them. When it comes to Langley's Raptor force, which could be
called to deploy at a moment's notice, this is clearly beneficial, but other
fighter bases have also received this system, as well.
A company called International Automated Systems, or IAS, makes the automated
tank racks. They are fairly remarkable machines to see in action, which you can
in the video below.
The huge industrial setup certainly looks like a set out of a science fiction
movie. For someone who doesn't know a lot about military aviation, you can
imagine how they would probably think they have stumbled upon a nuclear weapons
bunker.
It is simply amazing how many little-known sci-fi-like facilities the
military-industrial complex has brought to life. But above all else, this setup
serves as another reminder that something that seems fairly simple, like
handling drop tanks for fighter aircraft, is really anything but.
As to what one of these F-22 external tanks actually costs? We have reached out
to Cobham to see if we can get a price.
*