The reason for the F-22’s abrupt decline was the rise of the more prominent F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. 

For two decades, the F-22 Raptor has been the most advanced air superiority fighter jet in the world. It is also the first stealth fighter jet to become operational. Those two features alone are enough to enter the fifth-generation fighter jet into the annals of combat aviation history. 

But how many F-22 Raptors does the U.S. Air Force have? And why has the Air Force been unable to order more F-22s to increase its global deterrence—at a time of record near-peer threats around the world?  

The Air Force received 186 F-22 Raptors of different configurations. After 20 years of combat and high-risk training, the F-22 fleet has dwindled to approximately 100 operational aircraft. The Air Force, and rightly so, keeps the exact number classified. Around 30 aircraft of the oldest configuration serve as training and testing jets.   

Although Congress and the Air Force are spending big bucks in modernizing the operational F-22 fleet to fly well into the 2040s, the fact of the matter is that the Raptor is facing extinction.  

It cannot be denied that the Air Force had big plans for the F-22. As the fighter jet was taking shape and form in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Air Force was planning for a fleet of 750 Raptors. With such a large fleet of the most capable air superiority fighter jet in the skies, the Air Force would all but have ensured victory in the skies against any conventional adversary for years to come. 

Alas, it was not to be. The F-22 debuted operationally in 2005, but Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the stealth aircraft, shut down the production line only six years later, in 2011. 

The reason for the F-22’s abrupt decline was the rise of the more prominent F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. Although the F-35 is not as advanced as the F-22 in air superiority, it is superior in a variety of roles, making it more useful overall. Notably, both aircraft have stealth capabilities, but the F-35 is designed to connect and enable friendly assets on the battlefield while also being capable of several mission sets on its own.

By 2011, the F-35 program was picking up steam, and Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon wanted to focus on its production. So the F-22 line was shut down—and reconfigured to facilitate America’s next stealth fighter jet.  

However, the F-22 has always held a vaunted place in America’s air arsenal. Notably, the F-22 remains one of the very few fighter jets that the U.S. has consistently declined to export to other countries.  

Despite persistent attempts by longstanding U.S. allies to add the stealth fighter jet to their arsenals, the U.S. has been equally persistent in its refusal. Japan and Israel, for example, tried quite hard to make Congress greenlight the foreign military sale of the F-22, but failed. The fact that the F-22 is the best air superiority fighter jet in the world, and also an aircraft brimming with classified technology, has made U.S. policymakers extremely reluctant to approve its export. As such, when the F-22 ends its service, it will likely only have served in the U.S. Air Force.  

About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou  

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP. 

Image: Shutterstock. 

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