First Flight Demo at Langley AFB

"F-22" redirects here. For other uses, see F-22 (disambiguation).
F-22 Raptor
Two F-22 Raptors in close trail formation
Role Stealth Air superiority fighter
National origin United States
First flight YF-22: 29 September 1990

F-22: 7 September 1997
Introduction 15 December 2005
Status Active[1]
Primary user United States Air Force
Number built 127 as of September 2008[2]
Program cost US$65 billion[3]
Unit cost US$137.5 million (2008 flyaway cost)[4]
Variants X-44 MANTA
FB-22

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It is primarily an air superiority fighter, but has multiple capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles.

The United States Air Force considers the F-22 a critical component of the U.S. strike force.[1] The USAF states that the F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.[1] Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Chief of the Australian Defence Force, said in 2004 that the "F-22 will be the most outstanding fighter plane ever built."[5]

Faced with a protracted and costly development period, the aircraft was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 during the three years before formally entering US Air Force service in December 2005, as the F-22A. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is the prime contractor and is responsible for the majority of the airframe, weapon systems and final assembly of the F-22. Program partner Boeing Integrated Defense Systems provides the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and all of the pilot and maintenance training systems.
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