F-22 Raptor from Aircraft Carriers? Is that Possible? The United States Navy and Marine Corps have the F-35C to launch and land on carriers. This airframe offers a great advantage that gives the two service branches a leg up when it comes to stealth capabilities. The carrier air wing is much stronger with the F-35C, which nicely supplements the existing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. The stealthy Lightning II can sneak in and take out enemy air defense systems. At the same time, the Super Hornet could follow on and destroy an adversarial air base or command and control facility. This practice would be an effective playbook for a Day One conflict with China.
Two Stealth Airplanes Are Better Than One
But what if I told you that the Navy had another stealthy trick up its sleeve? There was once an effort to examine whether an F-22 Raptor could fly off carriers decades ago. This would have given naval aviation another optio, enablingd that sneaky, stealth/ conventional one-two punch tactic to be much more effective.
This was going to be difficult and naval battle planners, even though they salivated at the prospect of having a stealth fighter on board aircraft carriers in the early 2000s, ran into some issues quickly.
There Was the Main Difficulty of Cross-training Pilots
First, the aviators would have to be cross-trained. Air Force pilots would either have to learn to land and take off from carriers day and night and sometimes in bad weather, or Naval aviators would have to learn to fly the F-22. This was going to be time-consuming and expensive because the Navy was already flying many different platforms on carriers—both fixed-wing and rotary-wing. It created the need for several different types of aviation schools and training facilities.
So, the Navy would be unable to fashion a new F-22 flight center. Or the Navy could send its aviators to the Air Force for F-22 familiarization. This was not realistic either. The Air Force had budget limitations and the need for many training centers too that were costly and stuffed to the gills with trainees.
Design Limitations and Weight of the F-22
The other problem is the weight of the different airplanes. Let’s say the pilots could be cross-trained on the F-22. Would it be optimized for flying off carriers? The answer is no. The F-22 is heavier than carrier-based based Super Hornets. F-22s weigh 45,000 pounds, while F/A-18 E/Fs grace the scales at around 32,000 pounds. You can see this disparity would make carrier ops difficult. The F-22s, even if they could fly off carriers, would not be able to carry the added fuel and munitions to make them effective warplanes.
Plus, the conventional Navy jets are optimized for a short take-off and landing scenario. Raptors just aerodynamically couldn’t make the jump to carrier operations.
Yikes, This Could Have Been Disastrous
As SimpleFlying.com also noted, “Even if they could get down to a low approach speed of 100 knots, the landing gear would be incapable of taking the force. With a collapsed landing gear, the aircraft would careen off the end of the carrier, likely drowning the pilot and causing severe damage to the carrier deck.”
That sounds dreadful, and neither the Navy nor the Air Force thought that the F-22 could become carrier-capable. The F-22 program goes back decades, and it was envisioned as a stealth upgrade to the F-15 Eagle, a model never intended for carrier ops.
This was the early 1980s, and the Soviets were advancing rapidly in their own fighter programs to challenge the F-15. To be sure, there once was a planned F-15N Sea Eagle carrier strike fighter, but that model was abandoned quickly due to many of the same issues involving aviator flight training and aircraft weight.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Paul ‘Loco’ Lopez, F-22 Demo Team commander/pilot, performs an aerial demonstration during the MCAS Beaufort air show, April 27, 2019. Maj. Lopez has over 1,500 hours flying both the F-15 and the F-22 and is in his second year as the commander of the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team. (U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Samuel Eckholm)
Not the Best Airplane for Carrier Landings
Also, the Raptor did not have the best design for carrier landings and launches. The diamond-shaped delta wing is not intended for performance at low speeds. A carrier landing needs the airplane to slow down before it “calls the ball” and readies for arrival.
Remember, the ship is moving too, and the aviator needs an aircraft that can maintain a relatively slow and steady speed as it makes its approach.
For all of these reasons, the Raptor wasn’t the correct airplane for carrier operations. It was not shaped correctly, and it was too heavy. The landing gear was also incorrect. Moreover, it did not handle well at low speeds.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Josh Gunderson, F-22 Demo Team commander, performs maximum power takeoff during a demonstration for the 67th National Security Forum at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, May 13, 2021. The F-22 Raptor’s two Pratt and Whitney F119 Turbofan engines bring a combined 70,000 pounds of thrust, allowing the aircraft to takeoff straight into the vertical. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Don Hudson)
Now, the Navy has the F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter that is having some success as it progresses through the acquisition process. The Navy will someday have two stealth fighters on carriers if all goes well.
The Raptor is not needed and is better with the Air Force. That is probably a relief to Naval and Air Force planners who were skeptical that their pilots could be re-trained on a new jet.
So, we’ll never see an F-22 Raptor on a carrier, but it was a creative concept at the time – just not possible in the way that some imagined.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor from 94th Fighter Squadron Langley Air Force Base, Va., takes off to perform an aerial demonstration for an estimated 180,000 spectators at the Australian International Airshow, March 2, 2013 at Avalon Airport in Geelong, Australia. The F-22 demo team are currently deployed to the 18th Fighter Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan to support pacific theater operations. This is the first official demonstration of the F-22 Raptors capabilities at an airshow outside the United States. The Australian International Airshow 2013 (AIA13), is held biennially, and is one of the largest international trade shows in the Pacific. The Airshow is expected to draw 350,000 visitors and has featured 500 defense exhibitors from 35 countries and is designed to bolster business opportunities in the international aviation sector. U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) participation in AIA13 directly supports theater engagement goals and objectives and further enhances relationships with other Pacific nations. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth/Released)
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
