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usafphantom2 · 10 months

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How did a Philippine attack jet manage to shoot down an F-22 in an air combat exercise?

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/10/2023 - 20:01in Military

In early November, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) announced that one of its FA-50 light attack jets managed to "shoot down" the current U.S. air superiority champion, the F-22 Raptor, during air combat exercises held in July of this year. This ad came along with an image recording the feat.

The image captured by the FA-50's cannon camera shows the Raptor in the sight of the Philippine fighter while the pilot fixed himself on the stealth jet with an infrared-guided missile (heat search).

"This case marked an important development in military history. The Philippine jet combat plane triumphed over a 5ª generation jet fighter in a simulated air combat arena, which took place in the airspace over Luzon, in the context of the Cope Thunder exercise,” the PAF statement said.

But although this achievement is certainly worthy of celebration for the Philippine Air Force, a more detailed inspection of this image offers a series of valuable clues about how a training aircraft transformed into a $38 million attack managed to surpass the $350 million Raptor or more.

And here's a spoiler: as so often happens in this type of exercise, the F-22 seems to be flying with a wing metaphorically tied to its back.

The simulated confrontation between the Filipino and American jets took place during the Cope Thunder 23-2 - a series of bilateral fighter training exercises and exchange of experts on the subject that took place in the Philippines between July 2 and 21. The U.S. Air Force sent 15 aircraft, mainly F-16 and F-22, along with more than 500 aviators to participate in the exercises alongside a similar number of PAF personnel operating FA-50, A-29 and AS-211 aircraft oriented to attack the ground.

But despite dozens of aircraft carrying out dozens of missions over almost three weeks, the part of these exercises that caught the world's attention occurred a moment before a PAF pilot proudly announced on the radio: "Fox 2! I hit a Raptor in the right turn!"

COMBAT EXERCISES DO NOT MEAN FAIR FIGHTS

Combat exercises, such as those carried out during Cope Thunder 23-2, are often misunderstood by the media that inform them (although this misunderstanding can sometimes be attributed to biased media). Clashes between aircraft, for example, are often presented without context, as if two jets had simply been taken to the sky as if airborne for a departure in a barrier-free cage, but the reality of these situations is anything but that.

An F-15 and an F-22 during air combat exercises.

The purpose of these exercises is not to ensure victory, but to create circumstances that lead to learning. In order to ensure that all pilots and support crews get the most out of these expensive endeavors, the rules of these exercises - commonly known as Engagement Rules or ROEs - are intentionally defined not only to balance the battlefield, but often to put the most capable unit or platform at a clear disadvantage.

In the case of the F-22 Raptor, its stealth, sensor fusion capabilities and the AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM) aim to give its pilot what the U.S. Air Force calls a "first kill opportunity". In other words, the fighter and its on-board systems were designed to allow the Raptor to sneak through enemy airspace without being detected, to face enemy fighters beyond visual range - destroying the enemy before he even realizes they are in a fight.

Even when forced to fight closely, the capabilities of the aircraft allow Raptor pilots to dictate the nature of the combat, sneaking through the airspace until they place themselves in the most advantageous position before the start of combat.

But if you allowed the F-22s to fly like this in air combat exercises... they would simply eliminate the enemy 60 miles away the minute the commander of the exercise said, "Go". And no one would take much advantage of the training.

Instead, it is common practice in exercises like these to establish ROEs that compromise the strengths of the Raptor and create advantages for lower fighters to put pressure. By barring combat out of visual range, for example, you eliminate the stealth advantage of the F-22 (s Stealth does not work against eyes and short-range infrared-guided weapons are more likely to crash).

Other rules, for example, forcing Raptor pilots to fly with heavy fuel launch tanks under their wings, can drastically reduce the aerobatic maneuverability of the aircraft, and through intentional positions of the aircraft at the beginning of the exercise, such as placing the lower capacity jet directly behind the F-22, can make things extremely challenging for Raptor pilots.

THE KING OF HEAVEN: F-22 RAPTOR

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is widely considered the most dominant air superiority fighter that has ever flown, thanks to its unique combination of stealth, sensor fusion and hot rod performance, usually found only in non-serial fighters of the Cold War era, such as the F-15. Powered by a pair of advanced Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines, each producing more power under post-combustion than the J58 turbojet that boosted the SR-71 Blackbird, the Raptor has a recognized maximum speed of Mach 2.25 and the ability to supercruise - or fly at supersonic speeds without the use of its post-combust - at speeds above Mach 1.5.

The maximum speeds may not win the fights, but the incredible power of these F119 grants the Raptor an impulse-to-weight ratio arguably the best in the world, something between 1.25 and 1.37 for one. In other words, the aircraft's engines produce between 1.25 and 1.37 pounds of thrust for each pound that the aircraft weighs with a standard combat load, making this stealth fighter one of the fastest tactical acceleration and climbing jets on the planet. These engines are adorned with two-way thrust vector control nozzles that allow the pilot to orient the thrust output independently of the fuselage, allowing greater control when flying at a high angle of attack (such as when orienting the nose and jet weapons down towards an opponent), as well as extreme maneuverability.

But the Raptor is much more than brute force. Despite being the first and oldest 5ª generation fighter on the planet, it remains the most stealthy, with a frontal radar cross section estimated at only 0.0001~0.0002 m2. This makes the Raptor potentially 30 times more stealthy than the F-117 Nighthawk and 1,000 times more stealthy even than the most optimistic estimates for Russia's intended competitor, the Su-57. This extreme degree of low observability is reinforced by the F-22's powerful AN/APG-77(V1) active electronic scanning radar, which is considered so capable that it surpasses even the most modern AN/APG-81 of the F-35 - the most powerful radar ever installed in a fighter - for air-to-air tasks.

The F-22 fights with up to six AIM-120 medium-range advanced air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM), two AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared guided missiles and a 20mm Gatling M61A2 cannon on board.

THE TRAINING JET THAT TURNED INTO HUNTING: FA-50

The FA-50, on the other hand, is the light combat version of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)'s T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic training aircraft, initially designed to replace the former Korean fleets of Northrop F-5Es and Cessna A-37 Dragonflies.

While the F-22 was designed to outperform the best fighters on the planet without saving expenses, the FA-50 was designed with accessibility and efficiency in the front and center, but that does not mean that it lacks teeth. Powered by a single General Electric F404-GE-102 post-combustion turbofan engine that produces about 17,700 pounds of thrust, this two-seat aircraft can reach speeds of up to Mach 1.5 and offers a thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.96 to one.

The FA-50 comes with a 3-cane, 20 mm General Dynamics A-50 rotary cannon and seven hardpoints for carrying weapons, including the AIM-9 Sidewinder, along with a long list of air-to-ground ammunition for attack tasks. The aim for air and ground operations is controlled by a modified Israeli EL/M-2032 Doppler pulse fire control radar, which is rumored to be similar in performance to the APG-68(V)7 multimode radar of American origin, harnessed by Korea in the KF-16.

The FA-50 has an economic performance that will not break many records, but it will not break the bank either. So... how the hell did he manage to shoot down the most powerful fighter in flight?

WHAT THIS IMAGE TELLS US ABOUT THE FA-50 VERSUS F-22 ENGAGEMENT

Although we do not know the combat rules to which these aircraft were subjected during this exercise, there are some things that we can deduce immediately through the only image disclosed above.

The first is that this involvement occurs clearly within the visual range. As it is almost certain that the F-22 Raptor would quickly dominate combat beyond the line of sight, it is safe to assume that the ROEs for this exercise forced the two aircraft to stay close, where the advantages of the Raptor, in terms of stealth or situational awareness, could not be of much use.

But some small details in the silhouette of the F-22 are even more revealing. If you look closely at the image, you can clearly see what look like the Raptor's external tanks filled with fuel still under the wings during this combat.

An approximate view of the PAF image compared to a similar photo of the F-22 carrying with flammable fuel tanks.

When not in combat or when flying on missions that do not require stealth, the F-22 Raptor is often seen flying with two huge 600-gallon external fuel tanks under the wings that carry an additional 8,000 pounds of fuel. These external fuel stocks have a seriously damaging effect on the performance of any fighter and, as such, are the first thing most pilots drop before facing an opponent.

These tractable tanks dramatically increase the amount of weight carried under each wing, which can increase the stall speed of the fighter (or the speed that the jet must maintain to avoid an aerodynamic stall), while dramatically increasing the inertia of each wing, limiting the ability of the fighter to roll or perform sharp turns. They also increase drag, forcing the fighter to work harder in all forms of maneuvers and reducing the rate of ascent and acceleration.

In other words, no Raptor pilot would enter an approximate air combat with their launch tanks, unless required by the engagement rules of the exercise to inhibit the performance of the fighter and give the smaller jet a better chance.

Thus, without further context regarding the circumstances of this combat exercise, it seems clear that the intention here was to provide all the personnel involved with the greatest training benefit, and not to make an analysis of the domain of the Raptor. And, as such, the cards were, once again, against the powerful F-22.

Source: Sandboxx

Tags: Military AviationCope ThunderJoint ExercisesF-22 RaptorFA-50 Golden EaglePAF - Philippine Air Force/Philippines Air ForceUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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More than 300 PNP medical personnel get CoronaVac jab

#PHnews: More than 300 PNP medical personnel get CoronaVac jab

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Latest data show that recoveries among PNP personnel who contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) comprise 95.7 percent of 11,420 cases in the police force.

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***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "More than 300 PNP medical personnel get CoronaVac jab." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1132372 (accessed March 03, 2021 at 06:57PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "More than 300 PNP medical personnel get CoronaVac jab." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1132372 (archived).

#Philippines #News #Filipino #Pinoy #Tourism #Politics #Culture #Editorial #Environment #Society #History

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The 14th Scout Ranger Company Makes a Blunder

The Philippine December Coup of 1989

History with Ponies

First (This) | Next

On November 29, 1989, at around 10:00 p.m., the 14th Scout Ranger Company, among the Philippine military's elite soldiers, disabled the antennae of Philippine Air Force repeater station at the "Palace in the Sky", Tagaytay. This act was supposed to be the signal for members of RAM-SFP (Reform the Armed Forces Movement - Soldiers of the Filipino People) to begin the coup.

However, there was a problem. The 14th Scout Ranger Company had blundered and disabled the repeater station at the wrong time. They were supposed to destroy the antennae on November 30, in order to signal the start of the coup on December 1. Instead they did it one day early.

To make things worse they forgot to cut the cables of the other communications equipment, thus enabling the Air Force personnel to contact the capital.

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Okay, so this will be the first in a series that I'm trying out. At the request of @crypkit I present to you all, History with Ponies! Right now I'm focusing on the Philippine's December 1989 Coup.

Portrayed in this piece are some members of the 14th Scout Ranger Company as they disable the atennae of the PAF repeater station. The ponies representing them are Boom ( @thedumbguywithaheart43 ) and a discorded version of Philippines Pony (@asktheunponies ). As you can see, they are wearing olive drab fatigues and black beanie caps, which was a common outfit for the Scout Rangers who participated in the coup. You will also notice Philippines Pony wearing a white scrunchie. This is to represent the countersign worn by RAM members, with white designating day 1 of the coup.

P.S. I have actually been to the Palace in the Sky once on a date (It's a tourist attraction nowadays) and wow is it really windy and cold up there. Now that I remember that, I should have draw their manes blowing against the wind.

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usafphantom2 · 2 years

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Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 11/30/2022 - 15:00 in Military

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) will send two Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle fighters and 60 people for exercises with the Philippine Air Force (PAF), from November 27 to December 11.

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The Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle is a twin-engine aircraft fighter of air superiority for any weather in use by the Japan Self-Defense Air Force (JASDF), based on the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, being produced under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The subsequent F-15DJ and F-15J Kai variants were also produced.

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Tags: Military AviationJASDF - Japan Air Self-Defense Force/Japan Self-Defense Air ForceMitsubishi F-15JPAF - Philippine Air Force/Philippine Air Force

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. It has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.