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A warplane that can see, think, act
Published on Fri, Apr 06, 2007 at 23:43, Updated on Sat, Apr 07, 2007 at 03:17 in 
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The next generation of warplanes is the age of stealth, where fighter planes may not be detected by radars – where fighter planes may not even need pilots!
For some time now warplanes have been able to fly and navigate themselves. But now the F22 Raptor developed by the United States is a plane that can see, think, act and react by itself!
The F22 Raptor is a very latest fighter in the United States Air Force. With twin jets delivering up to 35,000 lbs of thrust, the Raptor can fly for extended periods beyond the speed of sound.
They call it super-cruise. The F22 can strike and be gone in a second.
Not only is it fast, the Raptor is almost invisible to radar. They call that stealth.
The man or woman who flies the Raptor must be at the peak of their profession.
But the 100-year relationship between man and machine could soon be drawing to a close.
The Raptor is designed to fly, to think and if necessary, to attack without human intervention.
Where the warplane is going, soon man may not be able to follow!
"It's all done by computers, I flip a switch, it says 'Hey, I want to slow the aircraft down and I don't know how it happens. So now the pilot is a limitation on a lot of different types of missions," said F-22 Raptor Pilot Lt Col Jim Hecker.
The fighter squadrons here are America's first, their origins going back to World War One and the very beginnings of military aviation.
And it is from here that we can trace that history that took the warplane from box kite to stealth bomber. The F-22 Raptor is today at the front line of air force as we now know it.
"Its role is basically to provide air dominance. And we're the bust the door down kind of airplane. We shot down these fighters that are now reaching parity with the F15s and we do that with them not even being able to detect us," said Hecker.
"Now that will enable other services, army, marines, navy etc., to come bring the fight to the enemy," he said.
The Raptor is a craft so sleek it can slice through the skies without detection.
But its beauty is more than skin deep. Beneath the surface of this F-22 Raptor lie all the assets of a twenty first century warrior. The Raptor's teeth are just well hidden.
(A CNN-IBN Nat Geo presentation)
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