F-22 Raptor
Aft Fuselage Facts
Boeing crane operators load the aft fuselage for the first F-22 fighter into a shipping container at the Boeing Development Center in Seattle. Boeing completed production of the aft fuselage October 15, 1996, and delivered it to F-22 team partner Lockheed Martin in Marietta, Ga.
- Boeing began major assembly of the aft, or rear, fuselage for the world's first F-22 air dominance fighter on June 17, 1996, at its Developmental Center in Seattle, Wash. Boeing began the process by loading the left-hand forward boom, a large component that contains fuel and carries structural loads, into the aft fuselage assembly fixture.
- The aft fuselage houses the two Pratt & Whitney-built F119 engines that power the F-22. It also contains all or part of the aircraft's environmental control system and fuel, electrical, hydraulic and engine subsystems.
- A completed aft fuselage weighs 5,000 pounds and measures 19 feet long by 12 feet wide.
- The aft fuselage is 67 percent titanium, 22 percent aluminum and 11 percent composite by weight.
- The aft fuselage was designed entirely on the three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) system called CATIA.
- The aft fuselage is designed to withstand supersonic speeds for extended periods of time and extremely "high-g" maneuvers.
- Approximately 25 percent (by weight) of the aft fuselage comprises large electron-beam welded titanium subassemblies called booms. The largest of these booms, the forward boom, spans more than 10 feet and weighs approximately 650 pounds.
- The welded booms of the aft fuselage are extremely weight-efficient and reduce the use of traditional fasteners by approximately 75 percent.
- Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, is responsible for building the mid-fuselage section of the F-22. Lockheed Martin in Marietta, Ga., is responsible for the forward-fuselage section and for mating the three major fuselage components. Lockheed Martin is responsible for overall F-22 program management.
F-22 Wing Facts
The first wing for the first F-22 air dominance fighter is moved into position for high-precision drilling in Seattle, Wash. Installed are the upper wing skin and some of the internal substructure of the left-hand wing. Moved by crane, the wing and the blue tool in which it sits weigh about 14 tons. The wings contain specially designed composite spars that reduce aircraft weight and manufacturing costs.
- Boeing began assembly of the left-hand wing for the world's first F-22 air dominance fighter on January 17, 1996, when machinists loaded wing attachment parts for external fuel tanks and weapons pylons into an assembly tool.
- By weight, the Boeing-built portion of the wing is 42 percent titanium, 35 percent composite and 23 percent aluminum, steel and other materials in the form of fasteners, clips and other miscellaneous parts. Each wing weighs about 2,000 pounds.
- Each wing measures 16 feet (side-of-body) by 18 feet (leading edge).
- The wings were designed entirely on the three-dimensional CAD system called CATIA.
- The wings are designed to cruise at supersonic speeds for extended periods of time and withstand extremely "high-g" maneuvers.
- The wings incorporate structural design modifications made early in the development program. After analyzing the results of live-fire tests simulating severe combat damage, engineers chose to reinforce the wing by replacing every fourth composite spar with one made of titanium. The titanium reinforcements ensure that the F-22 will be more survivable in combat.
- The wings are designed to be interchangeable from airplane to airplane.
- Principal suppliers to Boeing on the wing include Dow-United Technologies of Wallingford, Conn. (composite sine-wave spars); Howmet of Norfolk, Va. (side-of-body rib and aileron support castings); Schlosser of Redmond, Ore. (pylon rib castings); and Curtiss Wright of Fairfield, N.J. (leading edge flap drive system).