About 29 years ago, the first production F-22 Raptor — the fifth-generation stealth combat aircraft regarded as the crown jewel of the US Air Force (USAF) — broke cover in a theatrical ceremony. This combat-proven aircraft is going strong and remains the world’s most admired and feared fighter jet.
The first production F-22, nicknamed Raptor 01, was unveiled in a high-profile rollout ceremony on April 9, 1997, at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems in Georgia. The rollout ceremony was hosted by the F-22 contractor team, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney.
The F-22 Raptor was developed under the USAF’s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) initiative, which aimed to replace the F-15 Eagle with a next-generation air superiority fighter featuring stealth, supercruise capability, advanced avionics, and enhanced survivability to outmatch agile Soviet combat jets of the time. The unveiling of the production F-22 was, therefore, the first major milestone for the Raptor program and the ATF.
Not just that, the ceremony also represented the F-22 Raptor’s victory over its competitor, the Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23. In 1991, after extensive flight testing, the USAF announced that the Lockheed YF-22A (which later became the F-22) won the airframe competition, as previously explained in depth by EurAsian Times.
Notably, Raptor 01 was the first of nine flyable F-22As built under the EMD (Engineering and Manufacturing Development) contract and designed to validate the production configuration before first flight and operational testing.
However, scores of spectators, dignitaries, workers, and media at Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems gathered to witness the public debut of what would become America’s first fifth-generation fighter.
The rollout was nothing short of theatrical, as a curtain was drawn aside amid smoke and lasers, and the aircraft, painted in a grey camouflage scheme, emerged.
“Today marks a major milestone in the defense of our nation. The introduction of the F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter culminates over 10 years of dedicated hard work by thousands of people across the country, the vision and long-range planning of congressional leaders, and the leadership of three Presidents. But perhaps more than anything else, it is proof positive of the know-how and can-do spirit of America’s most valuable asset—the American work force,” former US President Bill Clinton said at the time.
The Raptor made its maiden flight on September 7, 1997, symbolizing the dawn of fifth-generation fighter capability for the USAF, and it also became the first country in the world to produce a stealth fighter jet, decades ahead of its adversaries and rivals.
With unmatched capabilities such as supercruise, stealth technology, and sensor fusion, the F-22 Raptor represented a massive leap in capability that the United States refused to export. In fact, the US Congress passed the Obey Amendment, which prohibited the export of the F-22 to safeguard the technology and maintain an edge over adversaries and allies alike.
And, nearly three decades since the Raptor was unveiled, it remains a force to reckon with.
The aircraft was deployed to West Asia ahead of the “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran, which was launched by the US and Israel on February 28, 2026, and ended in a ceasefire on April 8, 2026.
The F-22s reportedly supported large-scale strikes on Iran while suppressing enemy air defenses, escorting other aircraft, and conducting air-to-ground missions. The low observability of these jets enabled operations in high-threat environments in Iran.
Even during Operation ‘Midnight Hammer’ in June last year, while the B-2 Spirit bombers got all the limelight, they were led by the F-22s and F-35s. They moved ahead of the B-2 bombers, conducting air superiority and air defense-suppression missions to clear the way for the B-2s to operate safely and effectively, and bomb the three Iranian nuclear sites.
Though the USAF has been planning to decommission the aging F-22 Raptors due to high maintenance costs, this aircraft is expected to remain operational at least into the 2040s.
The Most Advanced Stealth Aircraft
Positioned by the United States as the most advanced stealth aircraft in the world, the F-22 Raptor marked a quantum leap in warfighting capabilities by combining four revolutionary capabilities in a single aircraft: stealth, supercruise, supermaneuverability, and integrated avionics, or sensor fusion.
After the collapse of the USSR, the next generation of Soviet fighters that the Raptor had intended to dominate in aerial combat didn’t materialize. So, the Pentagon decided to end production of the aircraft, and the service received its last jet in 2012.
The F-22 Raptor is considered the stealthiest fighter jet on the planet. Its radar cross-section (RCS) is dramatically smaller than that of fourth-generation fighters and is often compared to the size of a marble or a bumblebee from certain angles. Some sources state that it boasts a cross-section even smaller than that of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, though the latter is known to dominate the F-35 in several other areas.
Earlier, fighters relied on speed, altitude, or electronic jamming to survive. However, the Raptor changed that as it could approach enemy jets undetected, engage, and disengage before the enemy knew it was there. This changed tactics in contested environments.
Powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119 engines, the F-22 can sustain supersonic speeds (over Mach 1.5) without using fuel-guzzling afterburners. Most fighter jets require afterburners for supersonic flight.
However, afterburners burn fuel rapidly, increasing their infrared signature and making them more detectable by heat-seeking missiles. The F-22 Raptor maintains high speed over long distances while staying stealthier. This expands the aircraft’s operating envelope, shrinks enemy missile engagement windows, and allows rapid response across vast battle spaces without sacrificing range or stealth.
More importantly, though, the F-22 is a supermanoeuvrable fighter due to its two-dimensional thrust vectoring and high thrust-to-weight ratio. In close combat, the Raptor can “tie adversaries in knots” while maintaining control.
The Raptor has integrated avionics and sensor fusion, which essentially represents the “brain” of the aircraft. The F-22 fuses data from its advanced AN/APG-77 radar, electronic warfare systems, and other sensors into a single, intuitive picture for the pilot. Its powerful communication capabilities give its pilots an overall sense of situational awareness.
The F-22 has three internal armament bays and can carry air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles, as well as smart and dumb bombs. Due to its internal armament capability, the Raptor can dominate combat without compromising stealth in non-permissive environments. In fact, Chinese military innovations have frequently been juxtaposed with the F-22’s capabilities, including claims of advanced quantum radar systems and ground-to-air hypersonic missiles specifically intended to defeat the F-22.
The F-22 was purpose-built as an air dominance fighter, optimized to clear the skies of enemy aircraft, escort high-value assets, and operate in the most hostile environments. And the USAF has continued to enhance the aircraft’s capabilities through upgrades.
The USAF is actively modernizing the F-22 Raptor through a series of upgrades to extend the jet’s operational relevance well into the 2040s and t bridge the gap until the sixth-generation F-47 (NGAD) fighter becomes available. The upgrades focus on improving range, passive sensing, stealth maintenance, electronic warfare, and overall survivability in highly contested environments, particularly against China.
As previously reported by the EurAsian Times, the Raptor is slated to receive distributed infrared search and Track (IRST) arrays to enhance its survivability and lethality. The USAF awarded Lockheed Martin a US$270 million contract last year to embed the TacIRST Infrared Defensive System (IRDS) on the Raptor—this will enable the aircraft to detect and track a range of aerial threats, including stealthy ones. The distributed sensors will bolster the aircraft’s overall situational awareness, thus boosting its survivability.
The F-22 Raptor was believed to be outfitted with new external fuel tanks and pylons that are designed to minimize radar cross-section while significantly extending combat range. The aircraft is also expected to be armed with the long-range AIM-260 Joint Air-to-Missile (JATM), which is the USAF’s best-kept secret.
In 2022, General Mark Kelly, the head of the United States Air Force’s Air Combat Command, shared an artist’s concept of the Lockheed Martin F-22 firing an AIM-260 JATM.
Not just that, the Raptors will be the first stealth aircraft to operate as airborne controllers for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). You can read more about this in a detailed EurAsian Times report.
Last year, US President Donald Trump stated that the F-22 is also getting a “super upgrade.” Trump called the F-22 “the most beautiful fighter in the world,” and said “we’re going to be doing an F-22 super” that would be “a very modern version” of the jet. He did not elaborate on which upgrades would be part of this program.
Some of the other anticipated upgrades for the F-22 Raptor were revealed in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal documents and in an official artwork that was provided by the Commander of the Air Combat Command at the time, Gen. Mark Kelly.
The artwork showed three Raptors with two underwing faceted pods, a new, unidentified air-to-air missile, and new, stealthy external fuel tanks. Other improvements for the Raptor specified in previous budget requests included a new Operational Fight Program, advanced radar Electronic Protection, Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System (INS) Modernisation (EGI-M), Link 16 and Multifunction Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS), a Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), new encrypted radios, and Open System Architecture (OSA).
The USAF currently has 185 F-22 Raptors. Of these, only about 142 are combat-capable, with the rest used primarily for training, testing, and evaluation.
The USAF was expected to retire 32 Block 20 F-22A Raptors, which are not combat-capable. However, the FY2027 budget request does not mention any retirement or divestment plans, indicating that all the jets will remain in service for much longer than previously anticipated.
The Raptor, whose production model was unveiled 29 years ago today, will remain the mainstay of the US Air Force for years to come.
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