"Arved Sandstrom" wrote in message
...
"Chad Irby" wrote in message
om...
In article ,
"Damo" wrote:

I was under the impression (mistaken?) that the F-22 can only carry 4
air-to-air missiles, if it carries more it loses what stealth it had
and
you
might as well send in F-15s??

Six AIM-120C in the center bay plus two Sidewinders in the side bays.

Or two AIM-120C + 2 JDAMs in the center bay and two Sidewinders in the
side bays.

If they go with external tanks and missiles, they get another four
AIM-120s and another 1200 gallons of fuel, but they lose stealth if they
do that.

Just out of curiosity, why were they not able to design conformal external
fuel tanks that also are fairly stealthy? I find it difficult to believe
that it could not be done.

I think it is not that it could not be done--it is more a factor of not
being required. The F-22 already has a pretty good range (reportedly
superior to all other current and near-future competitors). Of course it can
also carry its conventional external tanks as required--I would think that
dropping those before entering into the threat envelope would clean it back
up to a pretty stealthy profile (the point being that stealth is not
required for the full flight profile--only during the
ingress/attack/egress).

Brooks


AHS