By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
(Washington DC)
The F-22s air supremacy can be observed through its pure speed, vectoring ability, stealth and thrust to weight ratio. All fighter jets are listed with specs indicating a maximum speed which is achieved at altitude and often at 50-percent fuel capacity. While its top speed of 2.25 Mach is quite similar to the Russian Su-27 and Su-35, listed at speeds of Mach 2.35 and 2.25 respectively, the F-22 appears to have distinct advantages over these 4th-gen Russian aircraft in terms of stealth and ever-critical thrust-to-weight ratio.
Looking across available specs showing top speed and thrust-to-weight ratio of top Russian, US and Chinese fighter jets, it seems the F-22 is equivalent to or faster than any top fighter jet in the world, yet its singular superior attribute seems to be its thrust-to-weight ratio. When combined with top speed, the F-22s highest-in-the-world 1.25 thrust to weight ratio would explain its vectoring and dog-fighting superiority. Interestingly, the 4th-generation F-15 is also listed with a comparable, best-in-the world 1.26 thrust-to-weight ratio nearly identical to the F-22. World Defense has the F-22’s Thrust-to-Weight ratio even higher at 1.37 when the aircraft uses “round nozzles.”
Many of the specific reasons why the F-22 Raptor is so revered as a pre-eminent global air-dominance platform may simply not be available for security reasons, yet its dogfighting capabilities, speed, vectoring and stealth have been cited and referred to by observers, Pentagon leaders, weapons analysts and leading experts for many year.
Why is the F-22 regarded as superior?
First used in combat against ISIS in 2014, the F-22 has shown its dogfighting prowess in many wargames throughout the years and received a large measure of performance enhancing upgrades. The stealth coating has been preserved and reinforced, and a sweeping 3.2b software upgrade in recent years has massively improved its weapons performance. The range, security and guidance systems of the AIM-9X and AIM-120D have been greatly improved across the fleet to better position the aircraft against 5th-generation adversaries. Enhancements include the “hardening” of weapons targeting guidance systems, precision, flight path trajectory and range. Additional enhancements such as upgraded AESA radar, new sensor possibilities and improvements to two-way communication between F-22 and F-35s and 4th-generation aircraft.
Speed & Thrust to Weight Ratio
Therefore, the F-22s combination of stealth, speed and thrust-to-weight-ratio seems unmatched across the entire range of advanced fighter jets operated by great power nations. The Russian Su-27 and Su-35 appear to be the closest to the F-22 when it comes to thrust-to-weight ratio, as they are listed at 1.07 and 1.13 respectively. The US F/A-18 and F-35 are both listed as having a thrust to weight ratio less than 1.
Defined simply as the amount of power or thrust the plane has versus its weight at the time of the dogfight, “thrust-to-weight” ratio greatly impacts an aircraft’s ability to maneuver, vector and seek advantage in an air-to-air engagement. While some of these slight distinctions in speed and thrust-to-weight ratio are likely of great consequence when it comes to high-speed air-to-air combat, there are other critical variables necessary to win a dogfight such as pilot training, skill and experience.
“Once the fight begins, the outcome is determined by a pilot’s experience in the air, his tactics and the airplane itself. Training and confidence can do wonders even if the pilot is flying an airplane that is roughly equal or even inferior to the enemy’s fighter. Pilots who control the merge generally get off the first shots before the enemy has time to react,” an essay from Military History Now states.
The conceptual framework for dogfight air-to-air combat victory was famously articulated years ago by former Air Force fighter pilot Col. John Boyd, who pioneered the term OODA Loop, for Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action. The idea, as express by Boyd, was that whichever pilot and aircraft were able to complete the OODA Loop process, and determining positioning for rapid first attack, would “be inside of” an enemy’s decision cycle and prevail in air-to-air combat.
Given this, an ability for a fighter-jet to vector and maneuver into position more quickly and dynamically is clearly fundamental to which aircraft can get into position to launch the first lethal strike. Yet another critical element to dogfighting, a variable also heavily impacted by thrust-to-weight ratio, is also an aircraft’s ability to “accelerate” and “thrust” out of the way of an incoming enemy missile. The F-22 would appear to have an advantage in this area as well.
By contrast, the US F/A-18 and F-35 are listed at Mach 1.8 and Mach 1.6. While not comparable in terms of top speed, the F-35 is of course known as an advanced multi-role fighter with superior drone-like sensing, targeting range and fidelity, computing and EW, among other things. The Chinese 4th-generation J-11 is also quite fast as well, listed with a top speed of 2.25, similar to the US F-22 and Russian Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-35 aircraft.
Interestingly, while flying as non-stealthy 4th-generation aircraft, the US Air Force’s F-15 shows the fastest speed among the group at Mach 2.5 at altitude. The Navy’s F-14 Tomcat, now retired, is quite similar at Mach 2.34, indicating that several less stealthy US aircraft can certainly compete with the Russian Su-27 and Su-35 in terms of pure speed. Russia’s 5th-gen Su-57 and China’s 5th-gen J-20 are both slated to reach top speeds of Mach 2, somewhat slower than the top speed of an F-22.
Kris Osborn is the Military Affairs Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University
