【Text by Observer Net, Mountain Cat】
According to the "War Zone" website in the United States, the U.S. Air Force F-22 "Raptor" fleet will undergo a series of new "survivability" upgrades to try to cope with emerging threats in recent years and "ensure that it can continue to play a role in future conflicts." Previously, the F-22 fleet was also adding podded IRST and stealth drop tanks, while the report mentioned here refers to replacing a new "Infrared Defense System" (IRDS), as well as upgrading the aircraft's stealth, radar, and electronic warfare systems, among other upgrades.
The detailed information about this series of upgrades was disclosed in the U.S. Air Force's fiscal year 2026 budget application documents. As a newly launched project, the U.S. Air Force plans to allocate 90.34 million U.S. dollars (approximately 647 million Chinese yuan) for this project in the next fiscal cycle. According to this budget document, the "survivability upgrade" includes but is not limited to low observability signal management, pilot-human interface, countermeasure systems, helmet systems, future encryption upgrades, dynamic synthetic aperture radar, network security, infrared defense system (IRDS) that improves missile monitoring capabilities, and software and hardware upgrades for electronic warfare systems, combined with more situational awareness and mission effectiveness technologies to enhance the fleet's ability to participate in joint operations.
According to Lockheed Martin's claim, the F-22 will receive the new IRDS system in January 2026, which focuses on countering long-range air-to-air missiles and surface-to-air missiles, replacing the existing AN/AAR-56 MLD missile launch detection system on the F-22. It remains unclear whether the IRDS provides additional capabilities such as the "transparent cockpit" similar to the F-35's Distributed Aperture System (EODAS). The U.S. Air Force had stated in January this year that by the 2050s, it would face "advanced anti-missile systems with ranges up to 1000 miles (approximately 1610 kilometers)" such as "China and Russia have developed various upgraded air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles," and the report cited the PL-15E used by Pakistan in the recent India-Pakistan air conflict as one of the reasons for the U.S. developing the next-generation "Joint Advanced Tactical Missile" AIM-260.
The AN/AAR-56MLD system sensors installed on the F-22's body (indicated by red circles) are only used for missile warning, and lack advanced helmet displays, thus lacking the "penetrating cockpit" capability found on the F-35, and also lack the EOTS multi-functional infrared/optical targeting equipment located below the F-35's nose.
In addition, the F-22 fleet will be equipped with Thales' "Scorpio" helmet display system to restore the similar capability that was canceled during the development of the aircraft. The report also speculates that recent achievements related to the "mirror-like" fuselage coating on the F-22, F-35, and F-117 may be used in the stealth performance enhancement upgrades for the F-22 fleet.
In recent years, the F-22, F-35, and F-117 have all been discovered to be flying with "mirror-like coatings" for flight tests.
To further reduce the aircraft's detectability, the F-22 will obtain an IRST system in the form of a pod to increase passive infrared target detection and tracking capabilities. In recent years, there have been multiple reports of F-22s flying with sensor pods under their wings for test flights. The U.S. Air Force has already placed an initial production order for 15 pods, aiming to begin deliveries in the second quarter of the 2028 fiscal year. It is said that compared to traditional single-aperture IRSTs that can only determine angular position, the IRST sensors mounted in pairs under the wings, when used in conjunction with the IRDS system, can achieve "combat-level target trajectory" acquisition and tracking through triangulation.
A photo taken in 2022 shows an F-22 aircraft flying with a pair of stealth-characteristic pods under its wings for testing.
According to another report, the U.S. Air Force budget application documents also revealed that the F-22 will serve as the first aerial control platform for the future U.S. Air Force unmanned "Collaborative Combat Aircraft" (CCA). Starting from the 2026 fiscal year, the U.S. Air Force will install a tablet-based control system on the F-22 and carry out other relevant modifications. The budget requested over 15 million U.S. dollars for this program called "Manned Platform Integration." Currently, the U.S. Air Force has 185 F-22s in its inventory, of which 143 are combat-ready, and the rest are used for training and testing. According to the content mentioned in the budget, this plan will purchase and integrate F-22 fighter jet kits for controlling CCA drones. The procurement includes, but is not limited to, tablet devices, cables, and other necessary materials, as well as system integration, assembly, testing, and inspection work, plus software updates, systems engineering, personnel training, logistics support equipment, and project support costs. Of the 15 million dollars, over 12.2 million dollars will be used to purchase 142 tablet computers and related cable kits (roughly matching the number of operational F-22 squadrons), at an average of approximately 86,200 dollars per set.
An image of an Australian version of "Loyal Wingman"—Boeing MQ-28 flying in formation with an F-22 of the U.S. Air Force, allowing the public to imagine the future scenario of F-22s fighting alongside drones.
It is currently unclear how the F-22 will communicate with the drones it controls. The report speculates that the exclusive in-flight data link (IFDL) between F-22s could be one of the possible solutions. Additionally, some systems used for relaying communications between F-22s and F-35s have been tested on the XQ-58 "Valkyrie" drone, a verification platform for CCA, and may have potential applications in future operational CCA drone systems.
About the CCA drone program itself, the U.S. Air Force also proposed an 870 million U.S. dollar request in the 2026 fiscal year budget. Currently, in the first phase of the project, two prototype aircraft, the YFQ-42A by General Atomics and the YFQ-44A by Anduril, are being developed. The requirements for the second phase's prototype aircraft bidding are still being finalized. U.S. Air Force officials stated that the first phase plans to procure 100 to 150 drones, and the long-term plan for each phase requires at least 1000 drones to be deployed. The current goal is to put the first aircraft into service by the end of the 2020s. Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force is actively collaborating with the Navy and Marine Corps on the development of collaborative combat aircraft, such as a common command and control architecture.
Rendered images of the General Atomics YFQ-42A (bottom) and Anduril YFQ-44A drone
Aside from the F-22, the F-35 and F-47 have also been listed as future CCA control platforms. The U.S. Air Force also stated that it will match the CCA with "more types of aircraft platforms" beyond fighters, including the B-21 "Raider" stealth bomber currently undergoing flight tests and aerial refueling aircraft, etc.
This January, Lockheed Martin stated in a press release that it had (to users) demonstrated a drone group interface, stating that this is a technology that allows pilots to "use touch screen tablet computers to command multiple drones to engage enemies" in fifth-generation fighter cockpits. Although there were voices questioning the effectiveness of using tablet computers to control drones last year, since the F-22 and F-35 are purely single-seat aircraft, it is difficult to operate the aircraft while using leg-mounted tablet computers, let alone operating the weapons on the aircraft. Colonel Derek Brannon, head of the "Eagle Program" responsible for advancing the Marine Corps aviation 2040 construction, also stated in March this year, "We need to learn a lot before we can (on the tablet) control drones while flying an F-35 and drive the aircraft, rather than colliding with the plane."
(Photo) A drone control system interface based on a leg-mounted tablet computer displayed by General Atomics Company. General Atomics Company
There are many disagreements within the U.S. Air Force about how to control drones, but on the other hand, it is generally acknowledged that using tablet computers is the easiest way to start testing and verifying, with the least invasive modification to the original aircraft, and it may not be the final state of the system. Moreover, further improving the autonomous flight and combat capabilities of CCA and reducing human intervention may alleviate these issues to some extent.
The U.S. Air Force has previously used various drones and the X-62 "Variable Stability" aircraft modified from the F-16D to research solutions and modified multiple F-16s as experimental platforms for the "Experimental Next Generation Operational Model" (VENOM) project. However, many problems remain to be solved regarding the deployment, launch, recovery, maintenance, and actual operation of CCA drones. In this context, the U.S. Air Force established a dedicated CCA test unit, known as the "Experimental Operations Unit" (EOU), and expanded it to squadron size last month. Although it is unclear whether the unit has already been equipped with operational aircraft. The U.S. Air Force stated last year that it had approved the purchase of CCA and equipped the Experimental Operations Unit, but the exact number of drones, whether they are YFQ-42A or YFQ-44A, or a mix of both, remains unknown. In short, the U.S. Air Force applied for nearly 55.5 million U.S. dollars and 6.6 million U.S. dollars for the EOU and VENOM respectively in the 2026 fiscal year, higher than the 44.5 million U.S. dollars and 6.1 million U.S. dollars in the 2025 fiscal year. Regardless, the U.S. Air Force will obtain relevant test results from these two projects. This plan to equip the F-22 fleet with tablet computer operation devices, although not ideal in terms of human-machine operation methods, is another new move by the U.S. military in advancing the deployment of the first batch of CCA.
This article is an exclusive article from Observer Net. Without permission, it cannot be reprinted.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7523770283036017203/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking the [top/down] buttons below.