Widely regarded as the most capable air superiority fighter in service anywhere in the world, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor was designed to be capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. It was designed to combine stealth, performance, agility, and integrated avionics in a single airframe. Though it wasn't marketed as such at the time, the F-22 was also the first "fifth-generation" fighter – yet, it was arguably ahead of its time.
Though the United States Air Force had originally sought to acquire a total of 750 F-22 Raptors, in 2009, the order was scaled back to just 187 aircraft. Several factors were cited at the time — including its high costs, and a lack of air-to-air missions due to the U.S. military’s involvement in the Global War on Terror (GWoT) and a general focus on counterinsurgency operations.
Here are some key facts about the F-22 Raptor:
Only the U.S. Air Force Operates the F-22
Although Japan had expressed interest in the F-22, the United States Congress never authorized the Raptor for export. The ban was to protect its advanced technologies. That fact also contributed to the program being cut short, while the development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter also meant an end to the program.
It Can Pack Quite the Punch
The Raptor is outfitted with three internal weapon bays, which open at the "very last second" to preserve the aircraft's low observability. Its internal side weapon bays provide carriage for two AIM-9 infrared (heat seeking) air-to-air missiles, while the internal main weapon has carriage for six AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles (air-to-air loadout) or two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAMs and two AIM-120, radar-guided air-to-air missiles (air-to-ground loadout).
In its air-to-ground configuration, the Raptor can carry two 907kg (1,000 pounds) GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. In addition, the F-22 is armed with an M61A2 20-millimeter cannon with 480 rounds.
Speedy Warbird
The aircraft's power plant consists of two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburners and two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles, which allows the Raptor to accelerate to and cruise at speeds of about Mach 1.8 without using afterburners. With afterburner, it is estimated that the F-22 can reach speeds greater than Mach 2.
According to the Air Force, the F-22's supercruise can significantly expand the aircraft's operating envelope in both speed and range over current fighters, which must use fuel-consuming afterburners to operate at supersonic speeds.
Advanced aerodynamics, combined with thrust vectoring and cutting-edge flight control systems provide so-called "super maneuverability."
Its Enemies Will Never See It
The F-22 is truly an air superiority fighter in that it was developed with a "first look, first shot" advantage that included its AN/AGP-77 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that could track targets before going electronically silent.
In addition, each Raptor pilot could receive information from other F-22s, allowing for a radar-silent attack. Even an aircraft that is outside of its missile envelope could track a target and covertly send target data to a close Raptor to make a silent kill.
It Has Never Been in a "Real Dogfight"
While the F-22 has taken part in numerous exercises, it actually remains unproven in air-to-air combat! In fact, it was this past February that the Raptor finally "scored" an aerial kill, when an aircraft from the 1st Fighter Wing shot down an alleged Chinese Spy balloon within visual range off the coast of South Carolina.
Later that same month, F-22s shot down additional high-altitude objects over Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. According to reports, the AIM-9X was used in those incidents — the first use of the air-to-air missile from the Raptor.
F-22s Have Been "Shot Down"
The U.S. Air Force doesn't like to admit it, but on at least three occasions, the F-22 has been "shot down" in training exercises – and as most recently as last summer.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) claimed its Korea Aerospace Industries FA-50 light fighter achieved an air-to-air "Kill" against a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor at Exercise Cope Thunder in July. On another occasion, a Raptor fell victim to a Mirage 2000 during a 2009 joint exercise with the French Air Force, the UK Royal Air Force, and the UAE Air Force.
Three years later, a German Air Force's Eurofighter Typhoon excelled in "Within Visual Range" (WVR) air engagement, where an F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft could not leverage its advantages in terms of stealth, radar, and other sensors during a 2012 "Red Flag" exercise in Alaska.
The truth is that in a real fight, these aircraft likely wouldn't get close enough to the Raptor to see it – and they'd likely be blown to bits before they came anywhere close to WVR.
It Has Conducted Ground Attacks
Though the F-22 Raptor has yet to engage a manned aircraft in the skies, it has conducted ground attacks, striking targets in September 2014 during Operation Inherent Resolve, the American-led intervention in Syria.
Raptors dropped 1,000-pound GPS-guided bombs on Islamic State targets near the Tishrin Dam. From September 2014 to July 2015, the F-22 conducted 204 sorties over Syria, dropping 270 bombs at some 60 locations.
Author Experience and Expertise
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
All images are Creative Commons.
