Article Summary: The U.S. Air Force may be developing the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter, but the F-22 Raptor remains critical to air superiority.
Key Point #1 – With speeds of Mach 2.25, superior thrust-to-weight ratio, and unmatched maneuverability, the F-22 still outperforms China’s J-20 and Russia’s Su-57. Recent upgrades, including advanced avionics, stealth enhancements, and infrared targeting, ensure the Raptor remains dominant well into the 2060s.
Key Point #2 – While NGAD will introduce next-gen capabilities, the Air Force needs both platforms for future conflicts. As tensions rise with China and Russia, retiring the F-22 too soon could leave the U.S. at a strategic disadvantage.
F-22 Raptor: Why the U.S. Air Force Can’t Afford to Retire It
Several years ago, the US Air Force had so much success upgrading its famous F-22 Raptor stealth fighter that it solidified plans to fly the stealth fighter into the 2060s.
Other planning has suggested that the service plans to retire the aircraft in the early 2030s.
The time, arrival, and configuration of the now-in-development Next Generation Air Dominance 6th-gen fighter has likely been a key factor in Air Force calculations regarding this question.
Several months ago, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s plans called for a “pause” with the 6th-gen fighter.
However, recent developments following Kendall’s departure suggest that NGAD is now surging ahead with full force.
The Air Force and members of Congress have taken key steps to ensure the continued life of the F-22 Raptor, as the 2023 defense bill prevented the Air Force from reducing the F-22 inventory until 2028, and the services’ 2025 budget request includes $7,8 billion for the F-22.
Therefore, the most current indications suggest that the F-22 is here to stay for decades.
If NGAD is fully resurrected as initially envisioned, the Air Force would still be ill-advised to retire the F-22.
Raptor & NGAD Together
Even if NGAD is arriving in an impactful way over the next decade, it would not make sense for the Air Force to think about phasing out the F-22 for several reasons.
Although the aircraft first flew in the late 1990s and surged onto the scene in the 2000s as what many considered the best air supremacy fighter the world had ever seen, today’s F-22 is almost entirely different.
F-22 Upgrades Matter
In recent years, the F-22 has been the focus of massive upgrades and modernization efforts, which have changed its ability to fire weapons, maintain stealth, detect threat,s and network with 4th and 5th-generation aircraft.
For instance, the aircraft’s AIM-20 and AIM-9X air-to-air weapons have been massively improved through a fleet-wide software upgrade called 3.2b; the adjustment improved range, accuracy, and flight stability for the weapons.
F-22 Raptor. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Air Force has also worked with Lockheed Martin to reinforce the F-22s stealth coating and has integrated a new generation of sensing, targeting, communications systems, and computing. The F-22 is also receiving a targeting system called Infrared Defensive Systems (IDS).
A significant essay in The National Interest says the new IDS will incorporate Tactical InfraRed Search and Track technology, something built into the US Navy F/A-18 and F-35.
IRST introduces a new level of precision, long-range enemy fighter targeting and also hardens signals against jamming in an EW environment.
F-22 at Mach 2.25
Interestingly, the F-22 was initially conceived as a premier air-to-air fighter, yet its first combat use was against ISIS in 2014 for an air-to-ground attack.
The aircraft is versatile and operates as one of the fastest planes ever to exist; its speed is comparable to the Russian Su-27 and F-15 as it can travel at speeds of Mach 2.25, yet its thrust-to-weight ratio is reported to be the best in the world when the aircraft uses round nozzles.
This means it is not only fast but also lighter weight and highly maneuverable than its main competitors, a key reason why it is likely regarded as the top air supremacy platform in the world.
F-22 Raptor: Top in World
Plans for NGAD likely include efforts to engineer the stealthiest and fastest fighter jet ever to exist, yet a 6th-generation fleet is not likely to exist in impactful numbers for a decade.
Given the current threat environment and the possibility that the US Air Force may be immersed in a great power war with China or Russia, the US will need a stealth platform capable of out-performing China’s J-20 and Russia’s Su-57.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor departs after being refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility November 5, 2024. Raptors provide air dominance and conduct missions delivering airpower within the region. (U.S. Air Force photo)
F-22 vs J-20 & Su-57
The F-22 is critical to this equation because, according to available specs, the Raptor is faster than both the J-20 and the Su-57; the J-20 and Su-57 are both listed at speeds of Mach 2.0, and the F-22 can not only reach speeds of Mach 2.25 but also operates with a superior thrust to weight ratio.
Of equal or greater importance, the F-22 is also the fastest when traveling in Supercruise, a mode that sustains massive speeds without needing an afterburner. The F-22s max supercruise speed is Mach 1.7, considerably faster than the Su-57’s supercruise speed of Mach 1.3.
The thrust-to-weight ratio is essential to any kind of air superiority, and the F-22 can operate with a ratio of 1.37 when using round nozzles, according to data compiled and published by World Defense.
Russia’s upgraded Su-27, the Su-35, is listed as capable of reaching a very effective ratio of 1.30, yet the aircraft is not stealthy.
Available information suggests the F-22 is considerably faster and more maneuverable than its J-20 and Su-57 5th-generation stealth rivals.
This indicates that the F-22 would be well positioned to prevail against its rival 5th-gen stealth aircraft, vital to establishing air superiority in a major-power warfare contingency.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
