The F-22’s integrated avionics that fuse information from on- and off-board sensors led the Air Force to use the fifth-generation fighter jet for the first time recently in combat, according to a key service official.

Air Force Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigan said Monday the fused avionics on the F-22 facilitated situational awareness for not just the F-22 and the pilot flying the jet, but for all other participants during air strikes against terrorist targets in Iraq and Syria. Harrigan said as planners looked at the mission and the threat environment they would be operating in, they felt using the F-22 was the best way, particularly on the first night of strikes, to achieve the desired effect.

The F-22. Photo: Air Force.
The F-22. Photo: Air Force.

“Whatever that combination of aircraft that is out there at that particular time, they’re able to provide them with situational awareness as to what they’re seeing, which then builds for that other aircraft, more situational awareness about what is going on,” Harrigan told reporters during a briefing at the Pentagon.

The F-22 saw its first combat action Sept. 22 nearly nine years after initial operational capability (IOC) was declared. The F-22 deployed Global Positioning System- (GPS) guided munitions during strikes against the terrorist group known as ISIL in Syria. The F-22 is capable of carrying two 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) from internal weapons bays in its air-to-ground configuration.

Other aircraft used in initial waves of strikes Sept. 22 included F-15Es, F-16s, B-1s, F/A-18s and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) (Defense Daily, Sept. 23).

Harrigan said the F-22’s integrated avionics help perform a larger role despite being postured in what he called a “defensive counter air role.” A combination of sensor capability, integrated avionics, situational awareness and weapons provides first-kill opportunity against threats, according to an Air Force fact sheet.

Integrated avionics provide the pilot unprecedented situational awareness with a single battlefield display, according to F-22 prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT]. This allows the pilot to manage the air battle rather than invest time in interpreting/deciphering multiple sensor inputs. The F-22 sensors can also passively collect, and eventually distribute, information on the enemy order of battle.

Other technological advancements include a secure F-22-to-F-22 data link that receives data from other aircraft, such as the E-3. The F-22 also permits communication with a fighter’s wingmen without dependence on radio. The Air Force has 183 F-22s at a unit price of $143 million.

JDAMs are developed by Boeing [BA].