The F-22 Raptor is the gem of modern military aviation, representing a generational leap in combat performance for the U.S. Air Force. Fueled by stealth, supercruise, maneuverability, and integrated avionics, the Raptor has become a superior weapon system in air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, embracing the operational concepts central to 21st-century air dominance.
As the cornerstone of the Global Strike Task Force, the F-22 is uniquely configured to rapidly project air superiority anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice, neutralizing any threat that may challenge U.S. access. In comparison with existing and projected fighter aircraft, the exceptional capabilities of the F-22 make it an unsurpassed opponent.
Its advanced sensor suite allows the F-22 pilots to track, identify, and engage air-to-air threats in the battlespace far beyond it is detected. Next-generation cockpit design and sensor integration enhance situational awareness. In air-to-air configuration, the Raptor is armed with six AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders. For air-to-ground missions, it can carry internally two 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. At some point in the future, an advanced radar and up to eight small-diameter bombs could be added to the aircraft.
Its engines also make the Raptor more powerful than any current fighter engine, allowing it to cruise at supersonic without afterburner, a feature called supercruise. This has expanded the operational envelope of the F-22, now able to fly both faster and farther than prevailing fighters that are gas-guzzling with afterburners to fly supersonic.
The F-22 is designed with advanced flight controls, thrust vectoring, and a high thrust-to-weight ratio, making it able to outmaneuver any current or projected aircraft. Its low-observable technologies greatly increase the chances of survivability and lethality against air-to-air and surface-to-air threats by bringing stealth into daylight operations and protecting other assets.
Even the mighty F-22 did not take an easy road to development. The formal beginning of the Advanced Tactical Fighter program was in 1986, and the YF-22 prototype was selected over the YF-23 in 1991. This involved quite a lot of testing in the engineering and manufacturing development phase, with the first EMD flight in 1997. A low-rate initial production decision was made in 2001, with approval for full-rate production coming in 2005, at which time the aircraft designation was changed from F/A-22 to F-22A in December of that year.
The F-22 unit price is $143 million. The total inventory reached 183 aircraft as of August 2022. It is an air-dominance fighter with a multi-mission career path, but it makes the F-22 relevant and effective in today’s combat environment.
In a related effort, the Navy once looked at adapting the F-22 into a sea-going variant it called the “Sea Raptor.” That would have been quite an ambitious design change to add a variable sweep-wing, defeating the aircraft’s purpose of being stealthy; but with the end of the Cold War and reduced military budgets, extended F-22 production was axed in favor of the multirole F-35 platform.
Eventually, the Navy would go with the F-35C version to satisfy its need for an intensely capable fighter furnished with advanced sensors for air combat and reconnaissance missions. Consequently, this brought the Sea Raptor concept to an end.
Meanwhile, the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron recently returned to Ellsworth Air Force Base after completing Bomber Task Force 24-6 at Andersen AFB, Guam. This mission executed with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific hit some noteworthy notes on progress in strengthening partners and advancing strategic objectives. Lt. Col. Christian Hoover emphasized that training and operations in highly contested environments are imperative for the improvement of tactics, techniques, and procedures that can pave the way to success across the joint and combined force.
The Navy has outlined a “family of systems” concept to replace its Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet. The Next Generation Air Dominance program, the service’s answer to the former F/A-XX program, will develop a suite of systems to accomplish the carrier air-wing strike and air warfare mission in the 2030s time frame. Work on manned and unmanned airframes, or optionally manned, with a focus on replacing the capabilities of the Super Hornets and the EA-18-G Growler, will be part of this plan.
The legacy of the F-22 Raptor and the prospects of advanced fighter platforms like the NGAD are critical in continuing to evolve the air dominance strategies of the U.S. military toward aerial superiority and safeguarding national security.