F-22 Raptor

The Lockheed Martin–Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American twin-engine, jet-powered, all-weather, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft. It was designed as an air superiority fighter, but also incorporates ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence capabilities.

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation, single-engine-class (twin F119-PW-100 engines), stealth air superiority fighter developed under the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, which began in 1981. It was designed to replace the F-15 Eagle as the USAF's primary air superiority platform. Key defining features across all variants: supercruise (sustained supersonic flight without afterburner), thrust vectoring, low-observable (stealth) design, and integrated avionics with sensor fusion. First flight of the production-representative EMD aircraft was on 7 September 1997. Total of 195 aircraft built (2 YF-22 prototypes, 9 EMD test aircraft, 184 production aircraft including 8 test jets retained by Lockheed).

The F-22 originated from the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program that the U.S. Air Force (USAF) initiated in 1981 to replace the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

All production blocks are F-22A airframes.

Software Increments

These are fleet-wide software upgrades pushed to existing aircraft regardless of block. They don't change the block number.

Increment 2 (2005): JDAM (GBU-32). Applied to Block 20+.
Increment 3.1 (2011): SAR mapping employment, electronic attack, SDB I (GBU-39). Applied to Block 30/35.
Increment 3.2A (~2014): Link 16 receive-only, enhanced combat ID, improved electronic protection. Software-only update.
Increment 3.2B / Update 6 (~2019+): AIM-9X Block II, AIM-120D full integration, enhanced geolocation, improved datalinks, single-code software baseline across fleet. $6.9B modernization program.

F-22A (Single-seat production variant)

Parent: YF-22 prototype → EMD development → production
Status: In service (only production variant)
Description: The one and only production Raptor. Every operational F-22 is an F-22A. Single-seat, twin-engine, all-aspect stealth air superiority fighter with secondary ground attack capability. 184 production aircraft delivered 2003–2012. All Block 10/20/30/35 aircraft are F-22As.
Temporary redesignation: Was briefly called F/A-22 (~2002–2005) to emphasize multi-role capability (like F/A-18), but reverted to F-22A before IOC in December 2005.