The sight and sound of a USAF Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air dominance fighter is something special to see and hear (air superiority is too old school for this Fifth Generation fighter). The noise, the speed, the maneuverability is spectacular and the F-22 Demonstration Team performance as Aviation Nation 2016 was no exception!










Awesome pix of an awesome aircraft! It’s kind of a pity that the F-22 programme got truncated. I still wonder what would have happened if the F-23 had won – apparently it was the better aircraft in some ways, certainly faster supercruise with the F-120 motor (I believe it could hit Mach = 1.8 without afterburner).
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Thanks! I think it was just too radical a design for the time. A lack of vector thrust engines probably didnt help (heat reducing engines though). I have seen both of the prototypes of the YF-23. Must finish a post I started on it! Also I need to do the same for the YF-17
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Yes please! đŸ™‚ I agree – the YF-23 was radically advanced and didn’t have the ‘this is a fighter’ feel about it. Awesome though it was in so many ways.
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I saw one at Dayton and the other in California. It was a sinister looking aircraft. The engines were removed from the one in Cali but I got a much closer look at that one
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Great photos. It’s nice to know we are not the only ones to suffer changeable skies!
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Thanks. Not that the Saturday was a bad weather day but it was certainly more cloudy and hazy
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That can be such a pain! They turned out nicely considering.
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I saw the F-22 demo this past summer at Thunder Over Michigan. Just a spectacular show. With the thrust vectoring the Raptor can do seemingly impossible maneuvers. It just has to be seen to be believed!
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It really is something worth seeing and hearing. An impressive machine!
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Great pics! This is an impressive piece of machinery right there!
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Thanks. Sure is!
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Those are very cool pictures.Very nice job Deano!
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Thanks a lot Wyatt! I will be seeing some more F-22 action down under very soon
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COOL!
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