The F-22 Raptor remains the world’s best air superiority fighter, but it is easy to forget that the Raptor is 30 years old and has issues, especially with its range, which can be a problem in the Indo-Pacific. When we were recently at an airshow in Lakeland, Florida, you could tell the mighty F-22 was not a spring chicken, that’s for sure.
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.
F-22 Raptor Lakeland, Florida Airshow. Taken on 4/19/2026.
However, the range has become a thorny issue in the context of a potential war with China. Its ability to project power across the vast Pacific Ocean is limited by its short range. The F-22 Raptor has a combat radius of approximately 450–530 nautical miles (about 515–600 miles or 850–980 km) on internal fuel.
But the Air Force is looking at ways to sharpen the Raptor’s talons.
$11 Billion Worth Of Upgrades, The Raptor 2.0:
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 back in February.
This modernization ensures the Raptor will continue to maintain air dominance for many years to come, until the F-47 reaches maturity 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.
F-22 Raptor. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
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.”
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.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor taxis on the runway during a routine training schedule April 21, 2020, at Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii. Given the low traffic at the airport due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the active-duty 15th Wing and the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 154th Wing seized an opportunity to document the operation which showcases readiness and their unique Total Force Integration construct. The units of Team Hickam work together seamlessly to deliver combat airpower, tanker fuel, and humanitarian support and disaster relief across the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Erin Baxter)
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.
F-22 Raptor. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“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 noted that the F-22 Raptor has been tested and evaluated with various iterations of a mirror-like coating, which has since 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, project power, and deter aggression.
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.
F-22 Raptor. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“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.
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 remains the standard against which every other stealth fighter is measured. Even after 20 years of service, it is still the best stealth fighter in the world.
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.
But what makes the F-22 great in a dogfight today 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.
F-22 Raptor Sun ’n Fun 2026 19FortyFive Image Taken on 4/19/2025 by Harry J. Kazianis.
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 last June, as well as the operation in Venezuela to remove strongman Nicolas Maduro. And in the ongoing air campaign, F-22’s are once again patrolling the skies over Iran during Operation Epic Fury.
The Raptor Is Already Operating With Collaborative 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.
The Raptor is the first aircraft to control the Collaborative Combat Aircraft during 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.
F-22 Raptor at the National Museum of the Air Force. Taken back on July 19, 2025, for 19FortyFive.com by Harry J. Kazianis.
F-22 Model. Image Credit: 19FortyFive.com
“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.
And the Raptor 2.0’s increased range, with stealthy conformal fuel tanks that add up to 850 nautical miles, and the continued development of stealthy drone aerial refueling tankers are good news for US war planners in a possible war scenario there.
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.
