| | Wednesday June 19, 2013 |
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| Test pilot breaks the soundbarrier for the first time in an F-22 |
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Lockheed Martin test pilot Jon Beesley has flown the first F-22 built by Air Force contractors Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney faster than the speed of sound for the first time. 13-10-1998 - F-22 Combined Test Facility (CTF) -- Beesley broke the sound barrier as he pushed the F-22, powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engines, to a speed of 1.1 Mach. When the F-22, Raptor 4001, reached Mach speed, it was flying at an altitude of 29,000 feet.
"From all indications, the Raptor flew past the sound barrier with ease,"said Lt Col C D Moore, commander of the F-22 Combined Test Facility (CTF).
In fact, the flight moved the Raptor one step closer to achieving supercruise, i.e., fly at supersonic speeds for extended periods without the use of afterburners, something only achieved so far by two Eurofighter prototypes. An afterburner is an auxiliary power source that provides extra thrust by injecting fuel into the engine's hot exhaust gasses and burning it.
To date, high-performance fighters have had to rely on afterburners to sustain supersonic speeds; however, the next generation of air superiority fighters are designed to allow supersonic flight without afterburners, which avoids consuming large amounts of fuel.
Source: USAF
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