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The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, supersonic all-weather stealth fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As a product of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program the aircraft was designed as an air superiority fighter, but also incorporates ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence capabilities. The prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, built most of the F-22's airframe and weapons systems and conducted final assembly, while program partner Boeing provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.

The aircraft descended from the Lockheed YF-22 and first flew in 1997. It was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 before it formally entered service in December 2005 as the F-22A. Although the USAF had originally planned to buy a total of 750 ATFs, the program was cut to 187 production aircraft in 2009 due to high costs, a lack of air-to-air missions at the time of production, and the development of the more affordable and versatile F-35.[N 2] The last aircraft was delivered in 2012. After a protracted development and initial operational difficulties, the F-22 became a critical component of the USAF's tactical airpower and will remain a cornerstone of the fighter fleet until its succession by the crewed Next Generation Air Dominance fighter.[3][4][5]

Development

Origins[edit]

Main articles: Advanced Tactical Fighter and Lockheed YF-22

In 1981, the U.S. Air Force identified a requirement for an Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) to replace the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Code-named "Senior Sky", this air-superiority fighter program was influenced by intelligence reports of emerging worldwide threats emanating from the Soviet Union, including new developments in Soviet surface-to-air missile systems for integrated air defense networks, the introduction of the Beriev A-50 "Mainstay" airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, and the proliferation of the Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker"- and Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum"-class of fighter aircraft.[6] In the potential scenario of a Soviet and Warsaw Pact invasion in Central Europe, the ATF was envisaged to spearhead offensive and defensive counter-air operations (OCA/DCA) in this highly contested environment that would then enable following echelons of NATO strike and attack aircraft to hit ground formations; to do so, the ATF would make an ambitious leap in capability and survivability by taking advantage of the new technologies in fighter design on the horizon, including composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight control systems and avionics, more powerful propulsion systems for supersonic cruise (or supercruise) over Mach 1.5, and most importantly, stealth technology for low observability.[7][8]

The USAF initiated an ATF request for information (RFI) to the aerospace industry in May 1981 as well as a subsequent concept development team (CDT) to manage concept and technology development.[9] In 1983, the CDT became the ATF System Program Office (SPO) and managed the program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Following a period of concept refinement and system requirements definition, the demonstration and validation (Dem/Val) request for proposals (RFP) was issued in September 1985, with requirements placing a strong emphasis on stealth and supercruise. The RFP would see some alterations after its first release; stealth requirements were drastically increased in December 1985,[N 3] and the requirement for flying technology demonstrator prototypes was added in May 1986.[10] Additionally, the U.S. Navy, under the Navy Advanced Tactical Fighter (NATF) program, eventually announced that it would use an ATF derivative to replace its F-14 Tomcat. Owing to the immense investments required to develop the technology needed to achieve the requirements, teaming between companies was encouraged. Of the seven bidding companies,[N 4] Lockheed and Northrop were selected on 31 October 1986. Lockheed, through its Skunk Works division, then teamed with Boeing and General Dynamics while Northrop teamed with McDonnell Douglas, and the two contractor teams undertook a 50-month Dem/Val phase, culminating in the flight test of two technology demonstrator prototypes, the YF-22 and the YF-23 respectively; while they represent competing designs, the prototypes were to be "best-effort" vehicles not meant to perform a competitive flyoff or represent a production aircraft, but to demonstrate the viability of its concept. Concurrently, Pratt & Whitney and General Electric were contracted to develop the propulsion systems for the ATF engine competition.[11][12]