Summary and Key Points: Steve Balestrieri, a veteran Special Forces Warrant Officer and defense columnist, evaluates the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor’s 2026 modernization package.
-Amidst Operation Epic Fury, the Raptor has integrated Low Drag Tank and Pylon (LDTP) hardware, extending its combat range by 850 nautical miles without compromising its ultra-low radar cross-section.
-This report analyzes the inclusion of IRST sensors for passive thermal tracking and the F-22’s new role as a command aircraft for MQ-20 Avenger Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
-Balestrieri concludes that these upgrades ensure the F-22 remains the premier air dominance platform until the sixth-generation F-47 enters service.
-The F-22 Raptor in 2026 summed up in 1 word: SUPER
The “Super Raptor” Rebirth: Inside the $11 Billion Upgrade Turning the F-22 into a 2026 Powerhouse
As great as the F-22 is as an air superiority fighter, it is easy to forget that the Raptor is 30 years old.
As an air dominance fighter, the F-22 was the first fifth-generation stealth fighter jet to fly. It combines advanced technology, such as stealth and sensor fusion, to produce superb situational awareness and an airframe that is highly maneuverable and can supercruise, or fly at supersonic speeds without the use of afterburners.
The F-22’s stealth is so good that it has a radar cross-section estimated to be as much as 15 times smaller than the F-35 and roughly 100 times smaller than China’s J-20.
The F-22 is still the standard against which every other stealth fighter is measured. Even after 20 years of service, it is still the best stealth fighter. But the rest of the world is slowly catching up. And it’s time, as #1 will soon end and be replaced by the sixth-generation F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter.
What makes the F-22 great in a dogfight is the aircraft’s thrust vectoring capabilities. Its two engines have specially designed nozzles at their ends that can move on a vertical plane to vector the aircraft’s 70,000 pounds of thrust in one direction, even if the aircraft is heading in another, thus allowing the F-22 to do some impressive acrobatics, as well as leverage an extremely high angle of attack during a within-visual-range engagement.
Image: Creative Commons.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., takes off from the Tyndall flightline as part of an asset evacuation due to Hurricane Irma Sep. 8, 2017. Tyndall evacuated its F-22s, QF-16 Aerial Targets, T-38 Talons, E-9A Widgets and other aerial assets in preparation for Hurricane Irma. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Sergio A. Gamboa/Released)
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jonathan Foster, 49th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, crew chief, from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. removes the intake covers of an F-22 Raptor before a training mission during Red Flag 11-3 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., March 2, 2011. Red Flag is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air forces of the United States and its allies. The exercise takes place north of Las Vegas on the Nevada Test and Training Range–the U.S. Air Force’s premier military training area with more than 12,000 square miles of airspace and 2.9 million acres of land. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth/Released).
$11 Billion Will Buy A Lot of Upgrades, Making The F-22 Even Better:
And with an $11 billion upgrade that includes conformal, stealthy new fuel tanks and infrared search-and-track pods being installed further outboard on the wings, the Raptor has increased its combat range without sacrificing its incredible stealth profile.
Lockheed Martin unveiled a model of the improved F-22 “Raptor 2.0” at the Air and Space Forces Association Annual Warfare Symposium this week.
This modernization ensures the Raptor will continue to maintain air dominance for many years to come, until the F-47 comes of age and is ready for deployment.
Lockheed Martin Designed Fuel Tanks Can Now Fly Into Combat:
One drawback of the Raptor, especially in the Indo-Pacific, has always been its short range. Raptors have carried 600-gallon fuel tanks under each wing to increase their ferry range, but these had to be dropped if the Raptors went into combat. The drop tanks also severely affected the Raptor’s stealth capability.
The F-22’s unrefueled combat range was 590 nautical miles. However, these new drop tanks, which Lockheed says have been developed after years of flight testing, can be flown directly into combat without being jettisoned.
Alex Hollings from Air Power wrote, “Lockheed officials would not disclose a maximum G-rating for these new external fuel tanks, but did say that the intent would be for the aircraft to keep them in place throughout most combat operations.”
The Low Drag Tank and Pylon (LDTP) program is a Lockheed Martin effort to develop stealth-compatible external fuel tanks for the F-22 Raptor, significantly extending its combat range for Pacific operations without sacrificing low-observability. These tanks feature a low-drag, sleek design and can be jettisoned to leave a clean, stealthy aircraft profile or left in place.
“These can go into combat,” says Katie Ciccarino, vice-president of Lockheed’s F-22 program.
“They are droppable if they need to be,” she added. “But the idea would be not to drop them, and to retain them throughout whatever the pilot is doing and then coming home and being able to use them again.”
F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet US Air Force
U.S. Air Force Capt. Samuel “RaZZ” Larson, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander and pilot, performs an aerial maneuver during the team’s certification flight at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Dec. 9, 2022. In order to perform at aerial shows around the world, the F-22 Demo Team has to be certified by Gen. Mark Kelly, commander of Air Combat Command, to ensure safety and performance standards are adhered to. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marcus M. Bullock)
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor performs an aerial demonstration at Davis-Mothan Air Force Base, Ariz. for the 2025 Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course, March 2, 2025. The Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course is an annual event where military and civilian pilots train together to fly in formations to showcase both modern and vintage military aircraft. These flights are often performed at airshows across the country to honor U.S. military aviation history and service members. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lauren Cobin)
Both the current and new external tanks provide F-22s with an extra 850 nautical miles (1,570km) of range, according to Lockheed.
New IRST Sensors, More Survivability In A Stealth Environment:
Lockheed Martin has upgraded its F-22 Raptor with upgraded infrared threat-detection sensors. This latest enhancement will improve the aircraft’s survivability and lethality by adding an infrared search-and-track (IRST) capability.
The inclusion of infrared search-and-track pods enables passive detection and tracking of airborne targets by sensing thermal signatures, eliminating the need to use radar signals that could reveal the aircraft’s position.
Although mounted externally, the pods appear optimized for stealth management. Although any externally mounted equipment will affect stealth, the trade-off in capability is considered worth it. In environments characterized by advanced electronic warfare and anti-access strategies, passive sensing enhances survivability and situational awareness.
TWZ pointed out that “an IRST sensor is useful for detecting stealthy targets, something that is also becoming increasingly relevant in the Pacific region. There is also the option of IRST-equipped Raptors sharing their sensor data with ‘clean’ F-22s, enhancing their situational awareness.”
President Trump Hints At More Changes That Are Upcoming:
More changes are possibly coming for the stealthy “Super Raptor.”
“We’re going to do an F-55 and – I think, if we get the right price, we have to get the right price – that’ll be two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35, and then we’re going to do the F-22,” President Trump said to reporters during a trip to Doha.
“I think the most beautiful fighter jet in the world is the F-22, but we’re going to do an F-22 Super, and it’ll be a very modern version of the F-22 fighter jet,” the president added. “We’re going to be going with it pretty quickly.”
TWZ also added that the F-22 Raptor has been seen under test and evaluation with various iterations of a mirror-like coating, which has since also appeared on a number of other stealth tactical jets.
The F-22 Remains The Best Stealth Fighter In The World:
Whenever a US or NATO ally needs support to protect its borders or airspace, the Air Force sends the F-22 to put out fires and project power and deterrence.
In April 2023, F-22 fighters were dispatched from Poland to Amari Air Base in Estonia to bolster NATO’s Air Shielding mission and deter Russian aggression in the Baltic Sea region.
“It cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft, making it a highly strategic platform to support NATO Air Shielding,” the USAF said.
In November, the US deployed F-22 Raptors, and later F-35s, to Kadena Air Base in Japan as a show of force against China.
Kadena is located in Okinawa, one of Japan’s southwest Ryukyu islands that form the first island chain. This U.S. defense concept links Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, pooling allied nations to contain the Chinese military in the region. And it is only 370 miles from Taiwan.
F-22s were used in the US airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, as well as the operation in Venezuela to remove strongman Nicolas Maduro. And in the past week, F-22’s are once again patrolling the skies over Iran during Operation Epic Fury.
The Raptor Is Operating With Collarborative Combat Aircraft:
The F-22 Raptor has it all: stealth, supercruise capabilities, and integrated avionics. And it just got better. It is equipped with an advanced sensor suite to detect, identify, and engage threats before they can be detected.
The cockpit design and advancements in sensor fusion have notably improved pilots’ situational awareness. Another contract involves upgrading the Raptor’s countermeasures.
And the Raptor is the first aircraft to control the Collaborative Combat Aircraft in flight testing.
An F-22 pilot controlled an MQ-20 drone from the fighter’s cockpit. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) MQ-20 Avenger uncrewed aircraft performed a test mission with an Air Force F-22 stealth fighter as the company separately plans long-range standoff weapons for the MQ-9B.
Flight Global wrote that the “F-22 acted as a command aircraft and the MQ-20 demonstrated the ability to receive and execute commands through a tactical data link.
“The MQ-20 was able to send messages to the F-22, which in turn sent commands via the Autonodyne Bashi Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI), software that lets a human pilot in a manned aircraft command and task autonomous uncrewed aircraft during missions.”
The upgrades to the F-22 will help preserve the aircraft’s air-superiority fighter role and competitive edge as the US military confronts more advanced threats from its enemies, especially in the Indo-Pacific, where China poses a particular challenge.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
