F-22 Raptor as a anti-satellite Fighter

The F-22 Raptor is an adaptable high-technology military flying machine with capability to become an early 21st Century anti-satellite weapon launcher, according to a recent report indicating that a derivative of the Aim-120 AMRAAM missile is being modified for just such a new mission.br /br /A senior U.S. Air Force official confides that the capability is inherently that of a cheap, rapidly-deployed, air-launched weapon for shooting down satellites in low-Earth orbit if the service or Missile Defense Agency were to order its further refinement and development.br /br /“If you put the missile in an F-22 [Raptor] and launch it at Mach 2 and 60,000 ft. while in a zoom and at a 45-degree angle, you’ve got an ASAT capability against spacecraft in low-earth orbit,” says one USAF General.br /br /Air Force planners are said to be adamant that the missile be on forward deployed, manned fighters like the F-22 Raptor. Tactical air planners bring up the frustration in the 1991 Gulf War when pilots could see Scuds ascending but had no way to attack them.br /br /Source:br /a href=”http://spaceports.blogspot.com/2008/04/f-22-raptor-as-space-fighter.html”Spaceports: F-22 Raptor as Space Fighter?/a