HOW WAS THE F-22 RAPTOR OVERSHADOWED BY THE F-35 LIGHTNING II?

In early 2023 the venerable Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor appeared to be given a new lease of life after shooting down a Chinese spy balloon, scoring the first kill of its career and briefly becoming the star of the headlines

The Raptor has been touted as one of the most modern and capable fighters in the world. The jet has it all: incredible manoverability and raw power for close-in dogfights, as well as stealth, sensors and weapons for long-range engagements. The F-22 defined an entire generation of combat aircraft. Every new stealth fighter has been invariably compared to the Raptor and even now discussions about what does and does not constitute a fifth-generation fighter jet begin with a comparison to the F-22.

With all this fame, it is sometimes easy to forget how old the Raptor is. The jet’s star hour came nearly three decades after its first flight in 1997 and 17 years after it was introduced into service in 2005. Its production has also been over for more than a decade and the number of Raptors in active service is steadily dwindling.

To understand that let us compare the Raptor to the F-35 Lightning II, the only completely new United States-made fighter jet to come out after the F-22. In late 2021 Lockheed Martin set a goal to build and deliver 196 F-35s within one year, more than the total number of F-22s ever manufactured. Due to production problems Lockheed’s plans failed, but the company still delivered more than 160 F-35s in 2022, which exceeds the total number of F-22s in active service today. How did that happen? How was the F-22, with all of its praised capabilities side-lined in favour of the newer jet and what is its role today?