The F-22 Raptor and F-15EX Eagle II are both flagships of American air superiority, each with its characteristic features and experiences that tell a lot about their relevance in modern-day aerial combats.
First entering service in 2005, the F-22 Raptor replaced the F-15 Eagle. As the world’s first 5th-generation stealth fighter, combining exceptional maneuverability and speed, state-of-the-art avionics comes into play. The aircraft is capable of doing acrobatics and sustaining an extreme angle of attack during close-range engagements thanks to its thrust-vectoring capability.
Diversity for the Raptor also extends into its weapons load. It can carry, in air patrol missions, two AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles and six AIM-120 AMRAAM radar-guided missiles. In precision strike missions, the F-22 will be able to carry two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAMs or eight 250-pound Small Diameter Bombs, maintaining its stealth profile, with all munitions being housed within its internal weapons bays.
This highly capable aircraft had its program curtailed to just 186 of a planned 750, and it entered service during the Global War on Terror at a time when its air superiority features saw limited use against irregular forces. This was further exacerbated by a Congressional ban on exports of F-22s to foreign customers due to concerns about compromising its highly classified technologies.
The F-15EX Eagle II is the most recent variant of the venerable F-15 Eagle. At full afterburner, an Eagle II can approach Mach 3. This is impressive for an aircraft in “clean” configuration-again, sans external fuel tanks or weapons-illuminating raw power. Two GE F110-GE-229s-each churning out 29,500 pounds of thrust-push the Eagle II to become one of the few aircraft capable of out-climbing and out-accelerating her contemporaries.
During the first flight in 2021, Boeing chief F-15 pilot Matthew “Phat” Giese lauded the aircraft with a pitch up to 40,000 feet at Mach 2.5. The F-15EX, besides being able to carry a heavy payload, features advanced avionics and electronic warfare systems, making the aircraft an extremely versatile platform across modern combat scenarios.
The F-15EX features a digital backbone integrated with a fly-by-wire flight control system and an Advanced Display Core Processor II mission computer. Its AN/APG-82 AESA radar and the Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System add crucial situational awareness and survivability in contested environments. And with hypersonic missiles also to become part of the aircraft’s load-out, its tactical reach stretches even further.
The F-22 Raptor and F-15EX Eagle II are testaments to the seriousness of the United States to air superiority. The incomparable stealth capability and agility of the Raptor, along with the speed and payload capacity of the Eagle II, make the U.S. Air Force second to no other across the skies.
While the F-22 production might be stopped, its legacy is one of the standards against which any future stealth aircraft is measured. The F-15EX remains up-to-date, though, with the latest technologies against emerging demand for its operation. As global threats are evolving, these jets will no doubt create a service that is highly valued in securing American airspace and projecting power around the world.