Customer Reviews

Lockheed-Martin F/A-22 Raptor: Stealth Fighter (Aerofax)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a hugh Raptor supporter. Personally, I feel we need this fighter. This book is a detailed analysis of this great fighter.

When I received my copy, I read it all the way through. The book is written in great detail by Miller. There is a lot of color and b&w photos taken by Miller himself and through Lockheed Martin archives, many never before released. The pics are crystal clear and many of later Raptors based at Nellis and Tyndall AFB. Text is full of details that can be released and each photo have captions for it.

In addition to sections about the YF-23 the proposed naval F-22, adn the FB-22, the book also includes part of the original Aerofax YF-22 text that Miller wrote with Richard Abrams back in the early 1990's to refreash the history of the Raptor back in the ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter) competition days. I also have the older YF-22 Aerofax book and the good news here is there is new photos and captions of the YF-22 prototype included in this new book.

My only wish is that this edition included the DIOT&E (Dedicated Initial Operational Test & Evaluation) results and photos of the Raptors based at Langley AFB, VA that were starting to be delivered in June 2005 Both events started after this book was printed . It would have been great to include some of the results and pilot and maintainer perspectives from the results of these tests (it is reported that the F/A-22 Raptor kicked everyone's A$$ that dared go up against it). Perhaps Miller or another great aviation author Bill Sweetman will include this section and photos in their next Raptor book. Regardless, a great book and highly recommended to add to your aviation library.

The story so far of the F-22A. The develloping story from the early days till present times is remarkable and really made me read page after page. The cherry on top of the cake are the photos - they are almost all full color. Previous titles were mostly black and white with a small center color section, this one is totally color except some archive pics of develloping mock ups that are b&w. But these are a minority. Jay Miller made an excellent job tracing the story of this awesome aircraft. Modern jet fans will love for sure. Highly recommended

I have been an avid reader of Aerofax books since they were initially published in the early 1980s. This book generally follows the approach of earler volumes but is distinguished by the large quantity of high-quality photographs. It includes a detailed chronology of the engineering and manufacturing development phase, and some of the encyclopedia-like detailed subsystem descriptions typical of the series.

What I found lacking was the history of the evolution of the design leading to the demonstration and validation phase (Dem/Val). A limited description of the Lockheed Martin development process along with elements of those of the competing teams was provided; however, I did not think it was coherent and easily followed. The overall discussion was disjointed most particularly the ultimate combining of the Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics concepts, which was a major driver in the final configuration of the YF-22. In addition the photographs chosen to illustrate the design delvlopment consisted mostly of somewhat random wind tunnel models and program viewgraphs. It would have been very helpful if a set of drawings depicting the evolution of the F-22 leading up to Dem/Val was prepared specifically for the book.

Further insight into the selection of the F-22 over the F-23 would have been welcomed. I would have enjoyed a comprehensive discussion of their attributes and an explanation of the decision process includung the technical and political aspects, particularly with the advantage of almost twenty years of hindsight and the author's knowledge of the program.

Another shortcoming was the discussion of stealth. It was extemely difficult to follow even for someone with some familiarity with the subject, omitted major aspects of low-radar signature design, and seemed to be more gratuitous than informative.

I had the impression that the book was quickly assembled without having gone through a rigorous editing process. The subsystem desctiptions were not as balanced as I would have liked to have seen and seemed to be somewhat reliant on illustrations provided by the manufacturer. It read more like a technical manual than a book.

Having said all of this, it is still worth having if you have an interest in modern military aircraft. The photogrpahs alone are almost worth the price.

Jay Miller tends to do good work, but the books are seldom balanced - always coming off a bit like a cheerleader for whatever subject he is writing about. A case in point is the F/A-22 book. The airplane is undoubtedly pushing the state of the art, but it has had a constant string of troubles that are not addressed in this book. Then the entire policy issue of why the USAF needs this airplane, or how 100 F-22s are going to replace 1,000 F-15s and F-16s. Still, if you are interested in the F-22, this is a good place to start.

By any standards the F/A-22 Raptor is the world's most advanced fighter. At at least $200 million each, it is certainly the most expensive. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, is it needed?

The plane that eventually became the F/A-22 began as a planned replacement for the F-15 and F-16 as they were reaching the end of their useful lives. The thinking about the plane began as early as 1969. Now in 2005 they are being delivered to the Air Force.

This is a beautiful book that starts with the early thinking, goes through the competition, initial testing, early production troubles, engine development, everything and in great detail. There's a bit about the competing F-23 fighter, which also looks like it would have been a pretty good bird.

There are some artist's concepts of a proposed F/B-22 bomber version and a comment that Northrop was dusting off their F-23 design to make it a bomber. A bomber like this might finally enable the Air Force to have a self-defending bomber like they thought they had with the B-17.

Do we need the F/A-22? -- I think that yes, we probably do. The United States professes to be a peaceful nation, but we go to war a lot. And if we do, I'd want our warfighters to have the best possible equipment. For at least the next twenty years, that's the F/A-22.

We need to build more than just a mere 100-200 fighters.