The radar-absorbing coating that keeps the Raptor hidden from radars began to distort and peel off.
The radar-absorbing coating on the F-22 Raptor stealth planes used by the United States Air Force (USAF) in a military campaign in Syria has begun to wear away.
According to Aviation Week, the radar-absorbing coating that shields the Raptor from radars has begun to twist and peel off. Climate conditions affecting the region of operations, according to the USAF, are one of the causes of this difficulty.
External variables, such as rain and sand grit, not only wrinkle and peel off the covering, but also return it to its original liquid condition, according to John Cottam, Lockheed Martin’s head of the F-22 program.
Indeed, this isn’t the first time the F-22’s radar-absorbing coating has failed: in 2009, US pilots claimed that the coating was readily removed off the Raptor’s body when it came into contact with fuel and lubricating oil, according to Southfront.org.
Lockheed Martin, on the other hand, claims to have created a new, more durable coating that will be applied to all F-22s during routine maintenance. This process is expected to take at least three years, according to preliminary estimates.
This is not the first issue that has jeopardized the Raptor’s stealthiness: as we previously reported, a recurrent weapon system issue that affected the radar cross-section of an F-22 Raptor belonging to the 43rd Fighter Squadron from Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida was fixed last month using a cost-effective solution developed by a 23-year-old Airman.
This new problem is unlikely to be solved by a cost-effective solution on which the US Air Force will rely.
Photo by U.S. Air Force