The F-22 and F-35 are the two frontline US stealth fighters, often conflated by the public but designed for fundamentally different missions. The F-22 is a dedicated air-superiority platform that has never been exported; the F-35 is a multirole strike fighter sold to a dozen allied nations. Understanding the split illuminates how the US Air Force thinks about air power.
Full guides: F-22 Raptor · F-35 Lightning II
| F-22 Raptor | F-35 Lightning II | |
|---|---|---|
| First flight | 1997 | 2006 |
| Origin | United States | United States |
| Length | 18.92 m | 15.7 m |
| Wingspan | 13.56 m | 10.7 m |
| Max speed | 2410 km/h | 1930 km/h |
The F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II emerged from two separate programmes with different requirements briefs. The F-22 came out of the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition that began in the mid-1980s; its entire design is optimised for air dominance — killing enemy fighters before they see it. It carries no ground-attack munitions internally beyond small-diameter bombs, its radar is tuned for air-to-air geometry, and its supercruise capability (Mach 1.8 without afterburner) means it can sustain high energy states that older jets cannot match. The F-35 came from the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, which had to produce a single airframe that could satisfy USAF, US Navy, and US Marine Corps requirements simultaneously, and satisfy allied export customers who wanted affordability and a broad weapon suite. The result is a supremely capable sensor platform — the AN/APG-81 AESA radar combined with the Distributed Aperture System (DAS) gives F-35 pilots 360-degree situational awareness no legacy fighter can match — but the airframe itself is heavier and slower than the F-22. Put simply: the F-22 is the better pure fighter; the F-35 is the better networked combat system. Most Western air forces that can afford only one type choose the F-35 because multirole utility wins budget arguments.
Both aircraft are fifth-generation stealthy fighters with AESA radars and beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles, which means any real engagement would likely be decided before either pilot sees the other. Within that framework: the F-22's AN/APG-77 radar has a larger aperture than the F-35's APG-81, giving it somewhat greater detection range. The F-22 carries six AIM-120 AMRAAMs internally versus the F-35's four, a meaningful difference in a multi-target BVR engagement. In energy manoeuvrability terms, the F-22's thrust-to-weight ratio at combat weight is approximately 1.08:1 and its supercruise at Mach 1.8 means it can dictate engagement geometry in ways the F-35 (supercruise-capable at roughly Mach 1.2) cannot replicate. In a within-visual-range turning fight, the F-22's thrust-vectoring nozzles give it a post-stall manoeuvring advantage. However: real outcomes depend on pilot training and tactics, sensor fusion, datalink support, which variant of which missiles each carries, and the electronic warfare environment. The F-35's superior situational awareness through DAS could offset the F-22's kinematic edge if an F-35 pilot detects and engages first. No credible analyst assigns a confident kill-ratio between two aircraft that have never fought each other. Treating either number as settled fact should be a red flag.
The F-22 is larger and faster. Wingspan: F-22 13.6 m vs F-35A 10.7 m. Length: F-22 18.9 m vs F-35A 15.7 m. Max speed: F-22 Mach 2.25 (approximately 2,414 km/h) vs F-35A Mach 1.6 (approximately 1,930 km/h). Combat radius: F-22 approx. 850 km vs F-35A approx. 1,093 km — the F-35 wins on range, partly because its fuel fraction is higher relative to its weapon load for strike missions. Max takeoff weight: F-22 approx. 38,000 kg vs F-35A approx. 31,800 kg. The F-22's supercruise at Mach 1.8 is a significant operational differentiator; the F-35 can supercruise at about Mach 1.2 under clean conditions.
The F-22 is flown exclusively by the United States Air Force. Congress banned export in 1998 (the Obey Amendment) and that restriction has never been lifted. The USAF operates 186 production aircraft. The F-35 family (variants A, B, C) is operated by the United States (Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps), United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Singapore, Finland, Poland, Canada, Greece, Switzerland, and Germany as of 2025 — a coalition that spans NATO and key Indo-Pacific partners. Israel was the first to use the F-35 in combat (2018).
The F-22 flew first. Its prototype (YF-22) first flew in September 1990; the production F-22A entered USAF service in December 2005. The F-35's prototype (X-35) first flew in October 2000; the F-35A reached initial operational capability in August 2016. The decade-plus gap matters in several ways. The F-22's avionics, while upgraded iteratively, are built around an older computing architecture that has proven difficult to modernise — a key reason the NGAD programme is developing its successor. The F-35 was designed around a more modern, upgradeable computing architecture, and the TR-3 hardware refresh now rolling out — after well-publicised delivery delays — carries its Block 4 upgrade path. The F-22's early production ended at 187 aircraft (well short of the planned 750) partly due to the cost growth and the changing post-Cold War threat environment, leaving the USAF with fewer airframes than planners originally wanted. The F-35's larger production run and wider operator base creates a different economic and industrial logic.
The F-35 is considerably more spottable worldwide. With 17+ operator nations and production still running, F-35s transit civilian airports for maintenance, appear at airshows across NATO countries, and deploy regularly to bases from Iceland to Japan. Spottable locations include RAF Lakenheath (UK), Aviano and Ghedi (Italy), Volkel (Netherlands), Orland (Norway), Skrydstrup (Denmark), Komatsu and Misawa (Japan), and Luke AFB, Hill AFB, and Eglin AFB (USA). The F-22 is restricted to USAF bases — primarily Langley/Eustis (Virginia), Elmendorf-Richardson (Alaska), Hickam (Hawaii), and Tyndall (Florida). It does not attend international airshows outside occasional RIAT appearances. Neither aircraft is exported, but the F-22 is also rare by US domestic standards. If you are outside the USA, your realistic chance of seeing an F-22 in person is close to zero.