Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American <a href="/facts/Twinjet/eahpYVVr">twin-engine</a>, <a href="/facts/Jet_engine/CJjFpeqt">jet-powered</a>, <a href="/facts/Night_fighter/5qTpLVzo">all-weather</a>, <a href="/facts/Supersonic/D3VpzmlC">supersonic</a> <a href="/facts/Stealth_aircraft/yzFCw70N">stealth</a> <a href="/facts/Fighter_aircraft/NuIvaGJg">fighter aircraft</a>. As a product of the <a href="/facts/United_States_Air_Force/7MxWBYlc">United States Air Force</a>'s <a href="/facts/Advanced_Tactical_Fighter/PVgPf4ox">Advanced Tactical Fighter</a> (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed as an <a href="/facts/Air_superiority_fighter/FmwaInsI">air superiority fighter</a>, but also incorporates <a href="/facts/Attack_aircraft/Rkc7Ft5I">ground attack</a>, <a href="/facts/Electronic-warfare_aircraft/6a34KePc">electronic warfare</a>, and <a href="/facts/Signals_intelligence/Iwzvw6AW">signals intelligence</a> capabilities. The prime contractor, <a href="/facts/Lockheed_Martin_Aeronautics/RyGbvEFU">Lockheed Martin</a>, built most of the F-22 airframe and weapons systems and conducted final assembly, while program partner <a href="/facts/Boeing_Defense%2c_Space_%2526_Security/aVM9hjR1">Boeing</a> provided the wings, <a href="/facts/Aft/sTnc1yC2">aft</a> fuselage, <a href="/facts/Avionics/F4gQJBJn">avionics</a> integration, and training systems.
First flown in 1997, the F-22 descended from the <a href="/facts/Lockheed_YF-22/f0lhBo38">Lockheed YF-22</a> and was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 before it formally entered service in December 2005 as the F-22A. It replaced the <a href="/facts/McDonnell_Douglas_F-15_Eagle/8ublq0RC">F-15 Eagle</a> in most active duty U.S. Air Force (USAF) squadrons. Although the service had originally planned to buy a total of 750 ATFs to replace its entire F-15 fleet, it later scaled down to 381, and the program was ultimately cut to 195 aircraft – 187 of them operational models – in 2009 due to political opposition from high costs, a perceived lack of air-to-air threats at the time of production, and the development of the more affordable and versatile <a href="/facts/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II/x0NWsvfC">F-35 Lightning II</a>. The last aircraft was delivered in 2012.
The F-22 is a critical component of the USAF's tactical airpower as its high-end air superiority fighter. While it had a protracted development and initial operational difficulties, the aircraft became the service's leading counter-air platform against peer adversaries. Although designed for air superiority operations, the F-22 has also performed strike and electronic surveillance, including missions in the <a href="/facts/Middle_East/8CD6pLWv">Middle East</a> against the <a href="/facts/Islamic_State/1307qum3">Islamic State</a> and <a href="/facts/Al-Assad_family/dAzcBYn8">Assad</a>-aligned forces. The F-22 is expected to remain a cornerstone of the USAF's fighter fleet until its succession by the <a href="/facts/Boeing_F-47/LlBw1VuP">Boeing F-47</a>.

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor open-in-new

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor