F-22 Raptor

F-22 Raptor
Name	F-22 Raptor
Type	Stealth air superiority fighter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin, Boeing
First flight	7 September 1997
Introduction	15 December 2005
Status	In service
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	195 (8 test and 187 production aircraft)
Unit cost	$150 million (flyaway cost, 2009)

F-22 Raptor. The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation, single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the product of the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, it was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but also has ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence capabilities. The Department of Defense considers it critical to U.S. tactical air power, though its high operational costs and the post-Cold War strategic environment led to the cessation of production in 2011 after 195 aircraft were built.

Development and design

The genesis of the program can be traced to the Advanced Tactical Fighter initiative launched by the United States Air Force in the 1980s to counter advanced Soviet aircraft like the Sukhoi Su-27 and emerging surface-to-air missile threats. The Lockheed Corporation (which later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin) and Boeing teams were selected over the Northrop/McDonnell Douglas proposal, with the YF-22 prototype defeating the Northrop YF-23 in a competitive fly-off. Key design goals included achieving supercruise capability, extreme agility through thrust vectoring, and a very low radar cross-section to ensure first-look, first-kill dominance. The program faced significant technical, cost, and political challenges, including scrutiny from the United States Congress and Government Accountability Office, but ultimately entered service as the world's first operational fifth-generation fighter.

Operational history

The first operational squadron, the 1st Fighter Wing's 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, achieved Initial Operational Capability in December 2005. The F-15C Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle units at Elmendorf Air Force Base and Holloman Air Force Base were among the first to transition to the new aircraft. While it has not seen aerial combat, the F-22 Raptor has been deployed for numerous exercises and real-world operations, including to Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates as part of operations over Syria. Its first combat employment was in 2014, dropping JDAMs on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant targets. The aircraft is maintained under strict security protocols, and its deployment to Kadena Air Base in Japan and other forward locations is a key element of U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific region.

Design characteristics

The airframe extensively uses composite materials and is shaped for all-aspect stealth, with weapons carried internally in bays flanking the fuselage. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with two-dimensional thrust-vectoring nozzles, enabling supercruise speeds above Mach 1.8. The avionics suite includes the AN/APG-77 AESA radar, designed for low probability of intercept, and integrated AN/AAR-56 Missile Launch Detector and AN/ALR-94 radar warning receiver systems. The cockpit features a large panoramic cockpit display and a hands-on-throttle-and-stick control system to reduce pilot workload.

Variants

The F-22A is the sole production version for the USAF. Two dedicated test aircraft variants preceded it: the YF-22 prototype and the F-22 Raptor engineering and manufacturing development aircraft. A proposed navalized variant for the United States Navy, dubbed the F-22N, was studied but never developed. An upgraded proposal known as the F-22B, which would have been a two-seat variant, was canceled early in the program. Export of the aircraft is prohibited by federal law, specifically the Obey Amendment.

Operators

* United States: The United States Air Force is the sole operator. Primary combat-coded units include the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley–Eustis, the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall Air Force Base, and the Pacific Air Forces' 15th Wing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. Training is conducted by the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base and the 477th Fighter Group of the Air Force Reserve Command.

Specifications (F-22A)

* Crew: 1 * Length: 62 ft 1 in (18.92 m) * Wingspan: 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m) * Height: 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m) * Empty weight: 43,340 lb (19,700 kg) * Max takeoff weight: 83,500 lb (38,000 kg) * Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 afterburning turbofans, 35,000 lbf (156 kN) thrust each with afterburner * Maximum speed: Mach 2.25 (1,500 mph, 2,414 km/h) at altitude * Cruise speed: Mach 1.82 (1,220 mph, 1,963 km/h) supercruise at altitude * Range: 1,600 nmi (1,840 mi, 2,960 km) with 2 external fuel tanks * Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (20,000 m) * Armament: **Internal:** 1× M61A2 20 mm cannon, 4× AIM-120 AMRAAM in main bay, 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder in side bays. **Optional internal:** 2× 1,000 lb JDAM or 8× 250 lb SDB in place of AMRAAMs.

Category:Stealth aircraft Category:United States fighter aircraft 1990–1999