F-22 Raptor

Lockheed Martin · United States · first flew 1997 · fighter

The F-22 Raptor is a twin-engine stealth air superiority fighter combining low observability, supercruise and thrust-vectoring agility.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, delta
E — Engines2 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — FuselageSharp chined fuselage edges
T — TailTwin fin

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Spot it by:

Identify it by the diamond-shaped wing planform and the heavily faceted, angular stealth fuselage with sharp chines. Twin outward-canted fins and rectangular thrust-vectoring nozzles complete the distinctive shape.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Lockheed Martin developed the Raptor from the Advanced Tactical Fighter programme, and it first flew in 1997. It was the world's first operational fifth-generation fighter, fielding stealth shaping and the ability to cruise supersonically without afterburner. Production was capped well below original plans, making it a rare aircraft.

Variants

The Raptor was built almost exclusively as the single-seat F-22A; no two-seat or export versions were produced. Export was prohibited by US law to protect its sensitive technology. Continuous software and sensor upgrades keep the small fleet current.

Where you'll see it

The F-22 has never served in UK forces and is not exported, but it has visited RAF bases and deployed to Europe during NATO reassurance missions. It made memorable appearances at RIAT Fairford, where its agility display drew huge crowds. British enthusiasts regard those visits as rare highlights.

In depth

The Raptor's shape is not arbitrary theatre — every surface angle was determined by radar cross-section modelling carried out in the late 1980s, when stealth required mainframe computing power most nations did not have. The faceted diamond wing planform, the canted twin fins and the sawtooth edges around every panel gap and door exist to scatter incoming radar energy away from the source rather than returning a strong echo. Crucially, Lockheed's engineers chose not to sacrifice aerodynamic performance for stealth. The result is a jet that can sustain supersonic cruise at roughly Mach 1.8 on military power alone — a capability called supercruise — while its two Pratt & Whitney F119 engines with thrust-vectoring nozzles allow it to point the nose almost anywhere, independent of the direction the aircraft is flying. The integration of these qualities into a single airframe was unprecedented in 1997 and remains rare today.

The Raptor's combat record is smaller than its reputation suggests, largely because the USAF has been reluctant to expose its technology. It flew its first combat sorties over Syria in September 2014, striking Islamic State targets alongside Navy Tomahawks in the opening night of Operation Inherent Resolve — a deliberate choice to signal capability rather than to fill a capability gap. Its air-to-air kill record in real combat is zero, not because the opportunity has not arisen but because no adversary has yet presented an air threat that required it. In exercises and red-flag wargames, however, the Raptor consistently dominates, with simulated kill ratios against fourth-generation opponents that have occasionally reached double figures.

Against its closest conceptual rival the Sukhoi Su-57, the F-22 holds meaningful advantages in radar cross-section reduction and in the maturity of its avionics, though the Su-57 was designed with supermanoeuvreability as its first principle rather than stealth. Against the F-35, comparisons are often made but the aircraft are built for different tasks: the Raptor is a pure air-superiority fighter, while the Lightning II is a multirole sensor platform. Many analysts argue that the most dangerous adversary for a future F-22 would be a mature Su-57 paired with its companion Okhotnik drone acting as a forward sensor.

For spotters, the canonical viewing location in the United States is Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, home of the 1st Fighter Wing — the first operational F-22 unit — which occasionally conducts a local open house. Elmendorf–Richardson in Alaska hosts the 3rd Wing and provides opportunities during Arctic Thunder air shows. In Europe, Lakenheath's annual show sometimes hosts visiting Raptors. The highlight for British enthusiasts came during RIAT visits in 2008, 2012 and 2016, when the Raptor flew a close-in agility display that revealed just how short its turn radius actually is — watch footage with a landmark in frame and you will be startled.

Spotter trivia worth committing to memory: the F-22 has no external hardpoints for peacetime training sorties — all weapons fit inside three internal bays. When the jet arrives at a show without pylons, that is entirely normal. A subtler detail is the gold-tinted canopy, which is a metallised coating that scatters radar energy rather than letting it enter and bounce around the cockpit. Hold it at the right angle in good light and the whole canopy shimmers a warm amber — that is stealth, not decoration. The production run stopped at 187 aircraft, about 400 short of the original Air Force requirement, making every sighting a genuine rarity.

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