Boeing

A T-33 trainer jet is suspended in the Boeing Radar Range in Seattle for radar cross-section testing (RCS). After gathering baseline data on the T-33's radar profile, Boeing will fly the jet as a calibrated airborne target against the radar Northrop Grumman is developing for the new F-22 fighter. Engineers will compare the resulting data to the T-33's known radar cross section -- as measured in the Radar Range -- to evaluate the new radar's performance. Testing will begin in May, after Boeing installs one of two developmental radars in its F-22 Avionics Integration Laboratory in Seattle. Early testing will allow Boeing to identify anomalies in the radar system before the complete avionics suite is loaded and tested for the first time aboard an F-22 in 1999. Radar testing using the Avionics Integration Laboratory also will reduce the number of F-22 flight tests needed. Teamed with Lockheed Martin on the F-22 Raptor, Boeing is responsible for integrating and testing all of the F-22's advanced avionics.

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