Intended to be the leading American advanced tactical fighter in the early part of the 21st century, the Raptor is the world's most expensive fighter to date costing about $120 million per unit, or $361 million per unit when development costs are added. Part of the reason for the decrease in the requirement is that the F-35 Lightning II uses much of the technology used on the F-22, but at a much more affordable price. To a large extent the cost of these technologies is only lower for the F-35 because they have already been developed for the F-22. Had the F-22 not been developed, the costs of these technologies for the F-35 would have been significantly higher.

Next generation technology abound in the Raptor. For starters, the F-22's dual Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburners incorporate thrust vectoring. Thrust vectoring is in the pitch axis only, with a range of ±20 degrees. The maximum thrust is classified, though most sources place it at about 35,000 lbf (156 kN). Maximum speed is estimated to be Mach 1.72 in supercruise mode and without external weapons; with afterburners, it is - greater than Mach 2.0 - (2120 km/h), according to Lockheed Martin. The Raptor can easily exceed its design speed limits, particularly at low altitudes; max-speed alerts help prevent the pilot from exceeding the limits. Gen. John P. Jumper, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, September 6th, 2001 to September 2nd, 2005, flew the Raptor faster than Mach 1.7 without afterburners on January 13th, 2005. The absence of variable intake ramps may make speeds greater than Mach 2.0 unreachable, but there is no evidence to prove this. Such ramps would be used to prevent engine surge, but the intake itself may be designed to prevent this. Former Lockheed Raptor chief test pilot Paul Metz says the Raptor has a fixed inlet. Paul Metz has also stated that the F-22 has a top speed greater than 1600 mph (Mach 2.42) and its climb rate is faster than the F-15 Eagle. This is because the F-22 is one of the few fighter aircraft with a thrust to weight ratio significantly greater than 1:1.

The true top-speed of the F-22 is largely unknown, as engine power is only one factor. The ability of the airframe to withstand the stress and heat from friction is a key factor, especially in an aircraft using as many polymers as the F-22. However, while some aircraft are faster on paper, the internal carriage of its standard combat load allows the aircraft to reach comparatively higher performance with a heavy load over other modern aircraft due to its lack of drag from external stores. It is one of a handful of aircraft that can sustain supersonic flight without the use of afterburner augmented thrust. The fuel usage from using afterburners would have greatly reduces its flight time.

The F-22 is highly maneuverable, at both supersonic and subsonic speeds. The usage of the F-22's thrust vectoring nozzles allows the aircraft to turn tightly, and perform extremely high alpha maneuvers such as Pugachev's Cobra and the Kulbit. The F-22 is also capable of maintaining a constant angle of attack of over 60 degrees.

Avionics include Raytheon and Northrop Grumman AN/APG-77 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, possibly the most capable radar in active service, with both long-range target acquisition and low probability of interception of its own signals by enemy aircraft.

This particular 1:72 scale replica of a US F-22A Raptor air dominance fighter was nicknamed "Spirit of America" and shown for the first time at a public ceremony in Marietta, Georgia, on April 9th, 1997. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 7-1/2 inches
Length: 10-1/4 inches

Release Date: March 2021

Historical Account: "Raptor 01" - With theatrical smoke and lasers zapping overhead, the Air Force and Lockheed Martin Corp. officially rolled out F-22 number one, "Spirit of America". President Clinton, in a statement released simultaneously with the rollout, called it the "catalyst for a revolution in airpower."

The April 9th event in Marietta, Ga., featured thousands of guests, including current and former company and service officials, plant workers, most of the Georgia Congressional delegation, and media representatives. All crushed forward to get a better look at the airplane that the USAF is counting on to guarantee American air supremacy through the first half of the twenty-first century.

The Raptor, as the F-22 has been officially dubbed, is not especially futuristic on the outside. With its new mottled-gray "ghost" paint job, the F-22 looks like a more angular version of the F-15C Eagle it was designed to replace.

Looks are deceiving, however. The F-22's sophistication lies in the precise way those angles were calculated to make the airplane stealthy, in the powerful and advanced Pratt & Whitney F119 engines fitted inside, and in an avionics suite that seems to verge on consciousness. No one disputes that the F-22, with a well-trained pilot in the cockpit, will be an unbeatable fighter when it reaches operational service, and its planned improvements should make it unequaled into the foreseeable future.

"This is not a business where you want to be second-best or equal," Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman, Air Force Chief of Staff, told reporters at the rollout. "You've got to dominate" in the air-to-air arena, he said, in order to ensure the safety of US fighting men and women on the surface. The F-22 contributes to overall military power by making the job of the other military services "possible . . . with fewer losses, fewer casualties, less ground given up to an enemy," Fogleman asserted.