The F-22 Raptor is the crowning glory of modern aviation, incorporating the very best that air superiority can offer. State-of-the-art technologies abound in this 5th-generation stealth aircraft, all put into an extremely maneuverable, supersonic platform, it is arguably the best air superiority fighter jet in the world.
The F-22 Raptor: Marvel in Technology
Introduced in 2005, the F-22 Raptor was developed to ensure American air dominance well into the 2040s by replacing the venerable F-15 Eagle. It is the world’s first 5th-generation stealth fighter jet, heralding advanced radar-evading characteristics, sensor fusion for higher situational awareness, and an airframe allowing supercruise, supersonic speeds without afterburners.
Certainly one of the most important characteristics of the Raptor is that this aircraft has thrust vectoring. Nozzles on this airplane’s two engines can travel along a vertical plane, allowing the F-22 to send its 70,000 pounds of thrust in different directions. This, in turn, equips the Raptor with the capabilities to do impressive aerial stunts and maintain a high angle of attack during dogfights.
One of the big selling points of the F-22 is its armament. The aircraft can carry, internally, two AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles and six AIM-120 AMRAAM radar-guided missiles for air-to-air missions. For air-to-ground missions, it could be fitted with two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAMs or eight 250-pound Small Diameter Bombs, in addition to its standard air-to-air loadout. All these munitions are housed within its internal weapons bays to preserve its stealth profile.
It has an operational ceiling of 50,000 feet and a range of nearly 1,900 miles, and with external fuel tanks, albeit at the cost of its stealth, the F-22 can break Mach 2. With all this, the program was cut short, having only produced 186 of the intended 750 aircraft.
The F-22 Raptor: A Victim of Timing
Operational just at the time when the U.S. military was heavily involved in the Global War on Terror, conducting counterinsurgency campaigns against irregular forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, the F-22 had some advanced features in air superiority and stealth that were underutilized against an enemy that did not field any advanced air defenses or, for that matter, even fighter jets.
Thus, the F-22 is often dubbed one of the “unluckiest” aircraft, which came into the world at the worst possible time to realize its full potential. Of the 186 Raptors delivered, only about 130 were operational, and today fewer than 100 are likely combat-ready at any given time due to a shortage of spare parts.
In 2011, the last F-22 came off the production line, and Lockheed Martin converted its production facilities in support of the F-35 program.
Export Restrictions: Keeping the Raptor Exclusive
Even with interest from proven allies, like Israel, Japan and Australia, the U.S. Congress has strongly opposed foreign sales of the F-22. In 1998, Congress passed an amendment that explicitly forbade exporting the F-22, citing the existence of classified technology and advanced production methodologies within the aircraft.
The United States still leads in stealth aviation technologies, and there is a concern about these technologies falling into the hands of rivals like China and Russia. Past experiences, as in the case of Iran’s continued use of American-made F-14 Tomcats and Venezuela’s operation of F-16s, only cemented the decision to make the F-22 an exclusive creature of the U.S. Air Force.
Although the Department of Defense was then entertaining thoughts of exporting the F-22, Congress had never provided money for such exports. Foreign customers ultimately shifted their interest to the also advanced but more export-oriented fighter jet, the F-35.
Conclusion
The F-22 Raptor represents a quantum leap in aeronautical design: the wedding of the importance of stealth, supercruise, and unsurpassed maneuverability for a truly remarkable machine. Despite limited numbers and constant operational problems, with each new generation of claims about the resiliency of its stealth, it still represents the gold standard of air superiority fighters, keeping the U.S. ahead in air combat.