A modified Boeing 757 F-22 avionics testbed ('Catfish') was photographed carrying a stealthy under-fuselage infrared sensor pod tied to the F-22 'Raptor 2.0' upgrade effort. This indicates expanded flight-testing of new IRST/IR defensive sensing hardware using a cheaper, longer-endurance platform than operational F-22s, potentially accelerating integration and evaluation of the new sensor suite.
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payloadside: natofirst seen 2024-07-01
US F-22 'Catfish' 757 testbed seen carrying new stealthy IR sensor pod
SOURCES
- The War Zone · https://www.twz.com/air/f-22s-catfish-757-testbed-spotted-carrying-raptors-new-infrared-sensor-podF-22’s ‘Catfish’ 757 Testbed Spotted Carrying Raptor’s New Infrared Sensor Pod