It appears as if the last F22 Raptor has been built for the US Air Force.
December 13, 2011 marks a historic day in military aviation. The last F22, tail number 4195 is the last of the 187 F22s that have been produced, starting in 1997, at the Lockheed Martin production plant in Marietta, Georgia.
The F22 raptor is considered a 5th generation fighter, which means they are the most advanced fighters in today’s market. The F-35 is the only other jet in this category. Fourth-generation fighters had stealth capabilities, like the B-2 Sprit and the F-117 Nighthawk.
Fifth generation fighters tend to have the following components/capabil
ities: They
- Are made of composite materials that are much lighter, therefore allowing more maneuverability.
- Use chines, which are small leading edge extensions on the wing, which allows the aircraft to fly at low AND high speeds.
- All tend to have canted vertical tails that reduce the likelihood of radar detection, and also have aerodynamic benefits as well.
- Have the newest technology in high-performance jet engines.
- Have automatic target fixation.
The F22 combines many of these components, namely stealth capabilities, along with advanced sensors and air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. It also has the ability to cruise faster than the speed of sound, which makes it undetectable!
Pretty cool stuff!
Here’s a list of some awesome stuff about the F22 Raptor:
- It has an amazing feature called Super Cruise unique from all other jets! What this enables the Raptor to do is to cruise at supersonic speeds for long periods of time. And it does this efficiently without having to rely on the use of afterburners. (All other jets must use afterburners to achieve supersonic speeds which greatly reduces their ability to sustain them for long periods of time)
- They use the Pratt & Whitney F119 engine designed specifically for the efficient supersonic operation described above. They also have a host of other advanced features like two-dimensional thrust-vectoring engine nozzles.
- The F22 raptor is capable of being armed with a whole host of different weapons. From a modernized version of the M61 internal gun to a long list of medium range missiles like the AIM-120A air-to-air missiles, to even carrying air to ground weapons like the Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs).
Unfortunately, those benefits come at the small price of $143 million PER aircraft! The last F-22 is being shipped off to Elmendorf-Richardson Air Force base in Alaska.
Leah says
That sucks, I hope they make better jets or different kind of Jets that can do the same thing as F-22 Raptors.
Jonathan Tee says
I think the Raptors need to come back into production and should be the only expensive defense project to be worked on, with other 4th Generation aircraft being upgraded (F-15, F-16, and F-18). From what I heard, the F-35 JSF is too expensive, and not as capable as people think it is, it has too many structural problems and many of its gadgets do not work (13 costly flaws). Raptors have proven to be the potential lead fighter for the time being, I think it would be necessary to stick only with this “new” fighter. It would save more money in the long run when all other new projects are being cut.
Corey Bellamy says
I do think that like every other jet before it the F-22 will improve in what it can do as time progresses as for the F-35 needs improvment once they get all the bugs worked out it should be a go i hope.
Mark Dagraca says
The f-22 has a major mysterious problem were pilot and groundcrew working on the aircraft are becoming sick of oxygen deprivation and the airforce has grounded the entire fleet