What's The Raptor's REAL Max Service Ceiling?

Hello all, no links or sources for this one just trying to see what people think.
Personally given all I know about the engine, aerodynamic design, and specifications of the F-22 I'm thinking that a combat loaded F-22 can fly level at max ~70K feet. It cruises at 50-60K so I don't see 70 thousand feet or thereabouts as unrealistic. What do you all think?

TBH Westy these kinds of threads always fill me with amusement.

We all know the military rarely tell all specs-wise (and certainly not right at the begining of a planes 'service career').

But

My bet is that it won't be too long till someone who knows someone who overheard someone connected at the lab/factory/design-shop/base blah blah blah ends up trying to tell us that they have it on good authority that it can really fly in interstellar space, actually.

...... which I might add it does regularly to maintain our contact with the federation of galactic civilisations we are a part of but our governments are keeping quiet from us - and all at a zillion MPH, at least.

......and anyway it was all invented over 60yrs ago by the nazis, almost made it into service and almost coulda won the war for them too.
The USA just stole and copied/reverse-engineered the technology (which partly came from aliens too that the nazis were in contact with down at their antarctic base).

No really.
It's all true, and a bloke said so on the inter-net so that proves it.



[edit on 28-8-2006 by sminkeypinkey]

Err… ok great that it amuses you but I’m just trying to see what people think it's max level flight ceiling is. Like I said I’m not stating anything as fact just my opinion here, yours is welcomed too.

Great post sminkey I don't know if that sort of irony only works on us cynical old Brits but Westy didn't seem to quite 'get it' while at the same time understanding it perfectly

Back to the original question, are we talking max ceiling at which it would fly and operate or at which it would gasp and struggle and begin falling back down while being quite useless?

If the former I wouldn't think much above 60k was likely, maybe 65k at a stretch.

Originally posted by Waynos
Back to the original question, are we talking max ceiling at which it would fly and operate or at which it would gasp and struggle and begin falling back down while being quite useless?

Yes, fly level, meaning controlled flight with the capability to release weapons at said height.

Not a zoom climb to a certain altitude for a short period of time but sustained level flight.