Photographer and videographer Mark Fingar shared online footage showing an F-22 as it approaches breaking the sound barrier, where it is then surrounded by what many have likened to its ‘cloaking device’.
At one time, the F-22 was considered among the most sophisticated fighter jets ever developed for the United States Air Force.
It had its maiden flight in Georgia, US, in 1997 after six years of development. However, in 2021, a former Air Force chief of staff suggested the F-22 might be retired completely by the decade’s end.
Yet, the agency has opted to upgrade the jets, which will likely extend their use into the 2030s.
The aircraft can reach speeds up to 1,500 mph, which is 2.2 times the speed of sound, and uses about 5,000 pounds of fuel each hour. Despite appearances, the jet is not equipped with a ‘cloaking device’.
Rather, the plane produces what is referred to as a vapor cone just before breaking the sound barrier, leading some to aptly compare it online to a ‘cloaking device’.
In the video by Fingar, a plane is shown being swallowed by a vapor cone, obscuring it from plain sight.
Social media users were amazed by the video when it was shared online. One user posted it on Twitter, remarking: “Mark Fingar captured an F-22 Raptor activating its cloaking device.”
Another person likened it to something out of a Harry Potter film.
“It’s how they play peekaboo in the clouds,” another user joked.
Vapor cones occur because condensed water can sometimes form around an object moving rapidly through moist air.
When the localized air pressure around an object like an F-22 Raptor decreases, the temperature also drops. If this temperature falls below the saturation temperature, a cloud will form.
This temperature change can also create a shockwave.
Rod Irvine, chairman of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s aerodynamics group, explained to the BBC: “If you see a vapor cone, you’ve got a shockwave, because you’ve got a change in pressure and temperature.”
Irvine added: “The aircraft isn’t necessarily travelling faster than the speed of sound, but the air travelling over the wing is accelerated and locally breaks the sound barrier.”
The science behind it is fascinating, but more than anything, it simply looks impressive.