Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

The F-22 Raptor is a fighter aircraft made by Lockheed Martin. It first flew on September 7th, 1997 and entered service in the United States Air Force in 2005. Because it is very expensive and dogfighting isn't common today, there aren't as many of them as other fighter planes. It is a stealth aircraft meaning it is very hard to see on radar. It can hold six radar-guided medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and two heat-seeking, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, but it can hold other payloads. While its top speed is uncertain, it's known to exceed Mach 2.25 or 1,700 mph. It features thrust vectoring, whereby the plane's thrust nozzles turn to help turn it faster. Thrust vectoring is very useful in dogfights.

The F-22 Raptor flying over Kadena Air Force Base, Japan

The F-22 Raptor is a 5th generation fighter and is a very expensive plane to produce. In order to protect the F-22 Raptor's stealth technology and other secrets, the U.S. has not sold the F-22 Raptor to other countries, even to its closest allies. Export versions not as powerful as the ones used by the U.S. might be sold in future.

Similar airplanes

• Su-57 - Russian counterpart of the F-22.
• F-35 - A similar American 5th generation plane, except it is a multirole jet instead of a fighter.