An overview: F-22 Raptor

ΑΠΟΨΕΙΣ - 19/10/2021. Συντάκτης: Defendia Newsroom

The F-22A “Raptor” is a state-of-the-art, single seat, twin engine, stealth 5th Generation Air Superiority Fighter. It is the first US aircraft with thrust vectoring, giving it a huge advantage in dogfights, in comparison to previous US fighters. The F-22 is more than capable of Air to Air warfare, as it’s radar cross section (RCS) is that of an small bird, making almost impossible to be traced and shot down by enemy aircraft and surface to air missiles (SAMs). Before it even faced an opponent on the battlefield, it was putted to test by the United States Air Force (USAF), against 6 F-15Cs (the best fighter at the time), and the F-15s (allegedly), lost the duel against a single F-22. It’s first flight was in 1997 and it became operational with the USAF in 2005. We had to wait for almost 10 years to see the Raptor into a real conflict, when in 2014, in Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led coalition started bombing the positions of the ISIL in Syria and Iraq, flying over 200 sorties and gathered intelligence and provided surveillance and reconnaissance for the coalition forces. Finally the Raptor saw some action in Afghanistan, bombing Taliban positions and escorting B-52s. The US is the single operation of the Raptor and according to the US Congress, the sale of the aircraft is forbidden, anywhere outside the US, because of the sensitivity of the technologies that are incorporated in the aircraft. There is only one issue with the Raptor: It has no equal in the skies, it has no enemy to seriously endanger its supremacy as the best fighter in the world. Unfortunately by 2030 the USAF will start retiring its F-22s to make space for its 6th Generation fighters. No matter what the future may bring, the Raptor is a certified killer and the worst nightmare to the enemies of the United States of America and its allies.