Power of two Cray supercomputer in F-22 cockpit

Seattle 11 Sep 99 One of the keys to the F-22 cockpit electronics is a central ``brain,'' technically called a common integrated processor that is equivalent in computing power to two Cray supercomputers. It integrates many functions and simplifies the way in which information is presented to the pilot. The goal: make identifying an enemy aircraft and firing a missile at the plane as easy as moving a cursor on a computer screen.

After an initial run through laboratory tests, the F-22 avionics software is tested aboard what Boeing calls a ``flying test bed,'' a modified 757 jetliner with an F-22 nose section fused onto its front and a set of F-22 wings mounted atop the 757's fuselage. In that configuration, and with dozens of computers and technicians aboard, the plane can test software for the F-22's radar and other sensors.

``We have really narrowed down the funnel of problems'' by using the modified 757 before the software is put to full-scale flight testing, said Gherry Bender, deputy manager of Boeing's F-22 avionics work.

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