F-22A Archives

U.S. Air Force Capt. Nick “Laz” Le Tourneau, pilot and commander of the F-22 Raptor Aerial Demonstration Team, performs for the Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana Air Show, Virginia Beach, Va., Sept. 20, 2026. For more than 70 years, the NAS Oceana Air Show has been a cornerstone of the Virginia Beach community, strengthening the bond between our warfighters and the community we proudly serve. This year’s theme, “Celebrating 250 Years of America,” honors our nation’s founding, its enduring legacy and the generations of men and women who have answered the call to serve and defend it.(U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Cierra Middleton)

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force Built 195 F-22s Instead of 750 and Destroyed the Tooling to Make More — Now China Has Exactly the Air Force the Raptor Was Designed to Defeat

At roughly $140 million a jet, the Raptor was expensive to build and costly to keep ready. Cutting the buy far below the 750...

Caleb LarsonSeptember 25, 2026

F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing and 192nd Fighter Wing, participate in a total force exercise at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Feb. 28, 2019. Both wings partnered with the 633rd Air Base Wing during the Phase I exercise to showcase their readiness and deployability of the F-22s. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech Sgt. Carlin Leslie)

Aerospace & Defense

German Pilots ‘Shot Down’ US Air Force F-22 Raptors in 2012 — They Also Admitted They Couldn’t Get Within 20 Miles of One in Real Combat

Even the Germans who claimed "Raptor salad for lunch" conceded the F-22 dominates at long range. In their after-action report, Maj. Marco Gumbrecht said...

Steve BalestrieriSeptember 25, 2026

A 380th Air Expeditionary Wing F-22 Raptor prepares to launch a sortie in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Dec. 14, 2016. The F-22s have provided support to multi-national Coalition partners working to defeat ISIS in the area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Tyler Woodward)

Aerospace & Defense

China’s J-20 Was Not Built to Fight the US Air Force F-22 Raptor. Its Job Is to Kill the Tankers and Radar Planes Behind It and to Hit U.S. Bases in the Pacific.

The F-22 Raptor was born from the Advanced Tactical Fighter program at the end of the Cold War, built to beat the Su-27 Flanker...

Isaac SeitzSeptember 15, 2026

U.S. Air Force Capt. Nick “Laz” Le Tourneau, pilot and commander of the F-22 Raptor Aerial Demonstration Team, performs for the 2026 Cleveland National Air Show in Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 6, 2026. Le Tourneau showcased the aircraft’s performance capabilities through a series of planned maneuvers designed to highlight its speed, agility and operational employment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lauren Diaz)

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force F-22 Raptor Has a Combat Range of About 590 Nautical Miles. China’s J-20 Is Estimated at Around 1,100. New Stealth Fuel Tanks Take the Raptor to 850.

New photographs show the Raptor carrying shaped external fuel tanks and two sensor pods — one apparently housing infrared search and track, the capability...

Isaac SeitzSeptember 11, 2026

U.S. Air Force Capt. Nick “Laz” Le Tourneau, pilot and commander of the F-22 Raptor Aerial Demonstration Team, performs an aerial demonstration during the 52nd Annual SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, April 18, 2026. Capt. Le Tourneau showcased the unmatched capabilities of the F-22 to the SUN ‘n FUN crowds by performing multiple series of combat maneuvers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lauren Diaz)

Aerospace & Defense

A $68,000,000 US Navy EA-18G Growler Simulated the Shootdown of a $143,000,000 US Air Force F-22 Raptor at Nellis in 2009. The Navy Pilot Painted an F-22 Silhouette on His Cockpit.

The F-22 Raptor was built so that American pilots could kill enemy fighters before those pilots ever saw them, at nearly $143,000,000 per aircraft....

Brandon WeichertSeptember 9, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

“We Had Raptor Salad for Lunch.” German Eurofighter Typhoon Pilots Said That After Beating US Air Force F-22 Raptors at Red Flag 2012, Then Painted Raptor Kill Decals on Their Fuselages.

The Luftwaffe sent 8 Eurofighter Typhoons and 150 personnel to Alaska in 2012 for two weeks of Red Flag. In close-range basic fighter maneuvers,...

Brent M. EastwoodSeptember 9, 2026

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 90th Fighter Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, flies over clouds during RED FLAG-Alaska 14-3 Aug. 20, 2014, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. A combination of sensor capability, integrated avionics, situational awareness and weapons provides first-kill opportunity against threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Araos/Released)

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor Stealth Fighter Is Fighting In a World It Was Never Designed to Fly In

The F-22 Raptor entered service in 2005 and the line shut down in 2011, which means every dollar of the $10,900,000,000 modernization contract Lockheed...

Jack BuckbySeptember 7, 2026

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. – F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing sit in position on the runway fduring the Elephant Walk at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, Jan. 31, 2025. The surge was designed to showcase the wing’s operational readiness and its ability to rapidly mobilize airpower. The 1st FW operates F-22 Raptors and T-38 Talons, maintaining combat capabilities that enable the U.S. Air Force to execute missions across the globe. With a focus on air superiority, the 1st FW plays a critical role in defending the nation’s interests. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Matthew Coleman-Foster)

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor Fighter Is Getting So Many Big Upgrades It Will Now Fly Until 2060

The People's Liberation Army Air Force operates around 300 J-20 stealth fighters, is accelerating the J-35, and has two sixth-generation designs in development that...

Kris OsbornSeptember 6, 2026

NGAD artist concept from Northrop Grumman.

Aerospace & Defense

The F-22 Raptor Stealth Fighter Won’t Ever Join the Israeli Air Force: That Means the New $300,000,000 F-47 NGAD Stealth Fighter Might Not Either

Israel saw the F-22 as its fifth-generation F-15 replacement. Congressional legislation barring foreign sales ended that, and Israel, Japan and Australia were left with...

Reuben JohnsonAugust 26, 2026

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors, E-3 Sentrys, C-17 Globemaster IIIs, C-130J Herculeses and C-12F Hurons participate in a close formation taxi known as an elephant walk at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, May 5, 2020. This event displayed the ability of the 3rd Wing, 176th Wing and the 477th Fighter Group to maintain constant readiness throughout COVID-19 by Total Force Integration between active-duty, Guard and Reserve units to continue defending the U.S. homeland and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jonathan Valdes Montijo)

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force’s $350,000,000 F-22 Raptor Can Hit Mach 2.25 and Has a Radar Signature That Is 100 Times Smaller Than China’s J-20 and 15 Times Smaller Than the F-35

The F-22's radar cross-section is generally estimated at as much as 15 times smaller than the F-35 and perhaps 100 times smaller than China's...

Steve BalestrieriAugust 25, 2026

19FortyFive

All posts tagged "F-22A"

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force Built 195 F-22s Instead of 750 and Destroyed the Tooling to Make More — Now China Has Exactly the Air Force the Raptor Was Designed to Defeat

Aerospace & Defense

German Pilots ‘Shot Down’ US Air Force F-22 Raptors in 2012 — They Also Admitted They Couldn’t Get Within 20 Miles of One in Real Combat

Aerospace & Defense

China’s J-20 Was Not Built to Fight the US Air Force F-22 Raptor. Its Job Is to Kill the Tankers and Radar Planes Behind It and to Hit U.S. Bases in the Pacific.

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force F-22 Raptor Has a Combat Range of About 590 Nautical Miles. China’s J-20 Is Estimated at Around 1,100. New Stealth Fuel Tanks Take the Raptor to 850.

Aerospace & Defense

A $68,000,000 US Navy EA-18G Growler Simulated the Shootdown of a $143,000,000 US Air Force F-22 Raptor at Nellis in 2009. The Navy Pilot Painted an F-22 Silhouette on His Cockpit.

Aerospace & Defense

“We Had Raptor Salad for Lunch.” German Eurofighter Typhoon Pilots Said That After Beating US Air Force F-22 Raptors at Red Flag 2012, Then Painted Raptor Kill Decals on Their Fuselages.

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor Stealth Fighter Is Fighting In a World It Was Never Designed to Fly In

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor Fighter Is Getting So Many Big Upgrades It Will Now Fly Until 2060

Aerospace & Defense

The F-22 Raptor Stealth Fighter Won’t Ever Join the Israeli Air Force: That Means the New $300,000,000 F-47 NGAD Stealth Fighter Might Not Either

Aerospace & Defense

The US Air Force’s $350,000,000 F-22 Raptor Can Hit Mach 2.25 and Has a Radar Signature That Is 100 Times Smaller Than China’s J-20 and 15 Times Smaller Than the F-35

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