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 superiority fighter was attached to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, 53d Test and Evaluation Group, then deployed to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, during November 2021 and features a chrome reflective coating applied across its exterior. Sold Out!

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

Release Date: June 2023

Historical Account: "Son of Ares" - In June 2020, the "War Zone" reported that a 401 "Son of Ares" technology demonstration aircraft had conducted multiple test flights over the China Lake Naval Aviation Weapons Center. The surface of the aircraft was covered with a layer of highly reflective metal coating. Its stitching quality is similar to what we saw on this F-22. At the time, the US media assumed that this could be used to test advanced infrared sensors, and even low-power laser systems, as well as the aiming capabilities of these systems for specular reflection targets.

According to the report, the US military is currently conducting a large number of infrared search and tracking systems (IRSTs) tests, which are in the process of early deployment by the US Air Force and Navy. The US military is also developing an air-to-air laser weapon system.

In 2021, scientists developed a new type of stealth coating. This type of stealth coating is a lightweight anti reflective coating based on the structure of a moth's eye that could make aircraft invisible to radar. The secret to the new coating is the creation of millions of tiny hollow spheres of carbonized sugar, arranged in a tightly-packed hexagonal monolayer. These spheres absorb nearly all radiation used by military targeting radar and law enforcement speed traps.

A coating which is 100 per cent anti-reflective in visible light would appear as a shapeless black mass, while one which had this property in the microwave range would be completely invisible to radar. The secret is the size of the biopolymer beads which form the hollows inside the coating, which at around 6mm are slightly smaller than the wavelengths of microwave and radar beams, and the thickness of the carbon walls that surround them.