The F-22 Raptor just became SHOCKINGLY more lethal with classified upgrades that China and Russia NEVER saw coming! This $8 billion transformation isn't just modernizing a fighter jet, it's ...
insider.si.edu: F-22 Raptor : America's next lethal war machine / Steve Pace
The Lockheed Martin–Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American twin-engine, jet-powered, all-weather, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft.
With open systems architecture and unmatched combat performance, the F-22 is shaping the future of integrated air power. The Collier Award -winning F-22 Raptor first took flight on Sept. 7, 1997 in Marietta, Georgia, after six years of development. It has delivered on its promise to provide unprecedented air dominance.
OVER VIRGINIA -- Lt. Col. James Hecker flies over Fort Monroe before delivering the first operational F-22A Raptor to its permanent home at Langley Air Force Base, Va., on May 12. This is the first of 26 Raptors to be delivered to the 27th Fighter Squadron.
Unlike the newer Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, which was designed for multinational cooperation and export, the F-22 Raptor was built as a 'silver bullet' for absolute air dominance. The United States Air Force is the sole operator of the F-22 because, in 1998, Representative David Obey introduced an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act that blocked the export of the ...
Why The US Air Force Is The World's Exclusive Operator Of The F-22 Raptor
The United States Air Force is developing the sixth-generation F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance fighter as a complement to the F-22 Raptor rather than a replacement — creating a layered kill chain with the F-35, F/A-XX, and B-21 Raider representing a fundamental doctrinal shift from platform-centric force planning to a family-of-systems model.