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We have just seen the first F-22 Raptor fighter jet equipped with a new stealth auxiliary fuel tank and infrared sensor pod.

On March 23, X user Task_Force 23 released a photo of a newly configured F-22 fighter jet he had taken near the Mojave Air and Space Port. It is almost certainly an F-22 fighter jet assigned to Edwards Air Force Base for test flights.

This article is a review article on the American "War Zone" website. The authors are Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway. They translated and edited it for everyone to share.

▲配备隐形副油箱和红外传感器吊舱的F-22战斗机。

The Raptor's new equipment will unlock new features, some of which have been in the works for a long time. These features include a high-performance Infrared Search and Tracking (IRST) system, which was originally planned for the F-22 but was canceled decades ago due to budget issues.

The War Zone has reported on some of the upcoming changes in the second half of the F-22 Raptor's service. A few months after the relevant content was published, the Pentagon released a concept diagram of the F-22 using a new mount configuration.

▲配备600加仑副油箱的F-22战斗机。

Currently, approximately 180 active F-22 fighters will be replaced by Next Generation Air Advantage (NGAD) manned fighters, and the U.S. Air Force hopes to purchase 200 NGAD's. The Raptor now serves as an "incubator" for NGAD technology, and functions developed within the framework of the NGAD program can also be first applied to the F-22 before the NGAD prototype is completed. Before the final retirement of the F-22 (expected to be over the next decade), the world's most deadly air superiority fighter will need to be more capable than ever to deal with the numerous and fast-growing emerging threats.

Consider that the F-22 was designed in the 1980s, improved in the 1990s, and was discontinued in 2011. The fact that the F-22 's combat effectiveness is still daunting enough to illustrate the advanced nature of its design. However, in the vast Pacific region, coupled with the Raptor's well-known "short-leg" shortcomings and opponents 'increasing air defense capabilities, have led to the emergence of new low-detectable auxiliary fuel tanks. These polyhedral auxiliary fuel tanks not only have stealth functions, but also can be discarded during flight, allowing the aircraft to restore its full performance without having a significant impact on the aircraft's radar reflection area. Like the 600-gallon non-stealth auxiliary fuel tank currently used by the F-22, the pylon will be discarded together when the auxiliary fuel tank is abandoned, but how to better restore the aircraft's stealth characteristics after abandoning the pylon remains a secret.

▲生产线上的F-22战斗机。

Just having a large underwing storage device approved for use with the F-22 Raptor could open up other functions. These include carrying large sensors or communication systems, so that the F-22 can carry large pods equipped with these sensors or communication systems, and can develop them into auxiliary weapon pods, further enriching the F-22 's combat missions.

▲2022年2月，挂载细长吊舱的F-22战斗机。

IRST is another story. We have seen the F-22 carry a slender pod model during test flights before, which may now become standard equipment. A few months ago, an NA-265 replacement test aircraft carried a pod with a gold infrared sensor window clearly visible.

Trading some radar cross-section in exchange for IRST functionality is enough to illustrate how important this feature has become, especially for discovering stealth targets that are currently spreading around the world. Even two of the four F-22 fighter jets in a formation are equipped with IRST pods, and even a larger formation will greatly improve the entire formation's already incredible situational awareness.

▲近年来，包括F-22在内的部分隐形飞机采用了镜面涂层。

Beneath the surface, the F-22 is undergoing a series of less obvious upgrades, involving processing capabilities, radar, communications, defense aids, etc. Another improvement that has at least attracted attention through test flights and evaluations is mirror coatings, and multiple forms of mirror coatings have appeared on the F-22 and many other subsequent stealth fighters. It remains to be seen whether the F-22 will use this coating at the combat deployment level. The U.S. Air Force has a relatively high level of confidentiality on its future plans, and even though it has admitted that certain plans are under evaluation, the details remain confidential.

根据美国空军2025财年预算申请，新型副油箱的“风洞测试、试飞规划和分析，以及地面测试”将在2023年底完成，飞行测试将于2023年第二季度开始，即可从一月份开始，到本月结束。现在的目标是根据预算文件，在完成研发、操作测试和评估之后，在今年晚些时候开始生产，并在2026年3月底之前开始向F-22战斗机中队交付新型副油箱。
▲进行飞行表演的F-22战斗机。

In the U.S. Air Force's fiscal 2025 budget submission, there is a separate project for the F-22 "sensor enhancement", which explicitly includes "advanced infrared search and tracking sensor" capabilities. The section said the plan is to allow these efforts to "continue to refine to achieve the planned F-22 flight test demonstration," which is planned to take place in fiscal year 2024 starting October 1, 2023.

After the flight demonstration, a decision will be made whether to put the sensor-enhancing equipment into small-batch production. R & D testing and evaluation of these systems will begin in the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, followed by equipment testing and evaluation in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026.

▲第六代隐形战斗机的渲染图。

It remains to be seen how long the U.S. Air Force F-22 will be in service after the auxiliary fuel tank and IRST pod can be used for normal equipment. The U.S. Air Force hopes future NGAD fighters will enter service in 2030 or sometime soon thereafter. Whether the NGAD plan can move forward on schedule depends on many factors, including future budgets.

The U.S. Air Force is already trying to reduce the size of its F-22 fleet, hoping to retire 32 older Block 20 Raptors. Allegedly, these fighters are too expensive to operate to meet the most modern standards and are not operationally relevant to their current configuration. Of course, the accuracy of the U.S. Air Force's statement on this matter remains open to question.

▲F-35早期480加仑副油箱的效果图（左），洛克希德·马丁公司最初在JSF计划期间计划的460加仑副油箱（右）。

从研制F-22隐形副油箱中获取的经验教训，对于F-35类似的计划也很有参考价值，毕竟后者同样面临着包括太平洋地区的远程行动和隐形飞机的威胁。特别是，无论副油箱是否具有隐形功能，目前还没有经过认证可以用于三种F-35战斗机中任何一种的副油箱。据报道，以色列正在为其装备的F-35研发某种航程扩展能力，其中可能就包括副油箱。洛克希德·马丁公司此前曾计划为F-35研制副油箱，并表示有多个用户对该装备有兴趣。
▲F-35通过机鼻下方的EOTS和DAS红外传感器系统获得IRST功能。

The U.S. Air Force has begun to attach importance to the role of IRST sensors, and various pod designs have begun to be developed or equipped, including multiple models for fourth-generation fighter jets and drones. The F-35 has quasi-IRST functions through EOTS and DAS infrared sensor systems, but the ability to carry dedicated sensors in stealth pods is undoubtedly very attractive to F-35 users.

如果不出意外的话，F-22新副油箱和吊舱的研发工作正在按计划进行。如果测试成功，它们可能会为F-22保持“空战之王”的地位提供巨大的帮助，直到NGAD战斗机最终出现。

1年进口上万吨！How delicious is Danish Arctic sweet shrimp？

How can it be so sweet? It's really no different from eating at a Japanese food store **! The seeds of the shrimp head are so full, it's so enjoyable!**

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** Eat directly out of the box! The shrimp meat is delicious and sweet, and the shrimp paste is mellow and soft, so sweet that it can't stop ~