What is the F/A-22 Raptor?
The F/A-22 is the world's first stealth air-to-air fighter, designed to be unseen at long range and deadly in close-in air combat. It can also strike ground targets with precision accuracy. Its design gives pilots unmatched maneuverability in the air.
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The F/A-22 was originally designed to replace the F-15 Eagle. Because of the Eagle's versatility, the rising cost of developing the F/A-22 and the changing world scene, the Raptor now supplements the F-15 instead of replacing it. When the F/A-22 program began in the early 1980s, the Air Force wanted a fighter to counter the threat from the Soviet Union. Since the end of the Cold War, the need for an air-superiority fighter has fallen: Pentagon war planners expect future conflicts to be fought against enemies with small air forces or none at all.
F/A-22 Specifications
- Primary Function: Fighter, air-dominance
- Wingspan: 44 feet 6 inches (13.5 meters)
- Length:62 feet 1 inch (18.9 meters)
- Height:16 feet 5 inches (5 meters)
- Powerplant:Two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engines capable of supercruise and thrust vectoring
- Speed: Mach 1.8 (supercruise: Mach 1.5)
Three of America's largest defense contractors -- Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney -- joined together to develop and produce the F/A-22.
In the following sections, we'll learn more about the technology that makes the F/A-22 the best fighter in the skies.