The F-22 Raptor Fighter Now Has Only 1 True Enemy (Not China or Russia)

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Father Time: The F-22 Raptor remains a cornerstone of U.S. air superiority, with modernization plans extending its operational life into the 2060s.

-Its unmatched thrust-to-weight ratio, stealth, and maneuverability solidify its status as the premier air-dominance platform.

-The Raptor’s modernization includes advanced radar systems, AIM-9X and AIM-120D missile enhancements, and secure data links with F-35s.

-Despite its superiority, the fleet size, reduced from 750 to 195, has drawn criticism.

-Lessons from the F-22’s upgrades echo successes with platforms like the B-52 and F-16, showcasing how modernization can sustain combat effectiveness well beyond an aircraft’s initial design.

The F-22 Raptor: Modernizing for Dominance Through the 2060s

The US Air Force has for years intended to fly its F-22 Raptor well into the 2050s and even 2060s through an ambitious and continued modernization program, an effort likely gaining even more traction now as the fate of the service’s 6th-gen stealth fighter lingers in a haze of uncertainty. 

Proponents of the F-22 have for decades argued that, indeed, the Raptor is the best air supremacy platform in the world due to its stealth, speed, aerial maneuverability, and weapons systems. 

Years ago, the potential superiority of the F-22 lodged itself in the minds of senior weapons developers for several key reasons. 

With round nozzles, the F-22 reportedly flies with the best “thrust-to-weight” ratio in the world at 1.37.  

This means it can vector, accelerate, and maneuver in the air like no other aircraft.  

The closest competitor in this area would appear to be Russia’s upgraded Su-27, called the Su-35, which has a “thrust-to-weight” ratio of 3.0. 

However, even the advanced Russian Su-35, upgraded with 4th-gen “plus” technologies, is not as stealthy as an F-22. 

At Mach 2.25, the F-22 appears tied with the very capable Su-35 for speed, yet there may be differences in sensing and weapons capacity that are hard to determine. 

The F-22 has also received radar upgrades and a next-generation targeting technology called Infrared Search and Track (IRST), which helps sustain targeting in a higher-threat EW environment. 

With all of that said, what sort of future foes the F-22 have as it gets older? Can the stealth fighter maintain its edge? 

First Shot – First Kill for the F-22 Raptor

Clearly, we must understand what makes the F-22 Raptor so special. 

Regarded as the ultimate “first shot – first kill” weapons platform, the F-22 had its combat debut against ISIS in 2014 and has consistently been deployed throughout the world as a forward-positioned rapid-response attack platform. 

But that isn’t all that F-22 can do. Years ago, the Air Force started an intense “Rapid Raptor” program which placed F-22s, crews, and maintenance and sustainment support in strategically vital areas of the world with the idea that F-22s could get anywhere in the world, anytime within 24 hours in the event of a crisis. 

F-22 Modernization

The fantastic thing is that the F-22 keeps getting better with age. 

Part of why the F-22 is so valued is in considerable measure due to the success of its long-standing, ambitious modernization program. 

The Air Force has worked with Lockheed repeatedly to maintain and improve the aircraft’s stealth coating and has made several software, hardware, and weapons upgrades to the plane in recent decades. 

One of the most significant and most successful F-22 modernization efforts was a now-operational, fleet-wide software upgrade called 3.2b; this initiative accomplished many things for the Raptor’s avionics, software, command and control, and weapons systems.

In particular, the 3.2b software upgrade greatly enhanced the lethality and combat capability of the air-launched AIM-9X and AIM 120D missiles. Range, guidance, and precision were all improved through this upgrade, and the weapons’ guidance system was “hardened” against enemy jamming.  

This 3.2b upgrade became operational across the fleet many years ago, and in subsequent years, the Air Force and Lockheed have improved the F-22s sensors, radar, antenna, and communications technologies.  

For example, the F-22 can exchange two-way information with 4th-generation aircraft and securely exchange two-way data with F-35s. 

Not Enough F-22 Fighters?  

However, just like any fighter jet, the F-22 does have its share of imperfections. 

One of the biggest challenges with the F-22 is simply fleet size, meaning the original plan for a fleet of 750 aircraft was abruptly truncated in 2009 down to 195. 

In retrospect, many US military leaders and weapons developers have come to regret this.  

Several years ago, there was a decided effort to resurrect an F-22 production line, an initiative which was ultimately canceled by Senior Air Force decision-makers who cited “budget considerations” at the time. Many are also likely to lament this decision as well, particularly given the liminal cloud in which the service’s 6th-gen plans seem to exist. 

Why Did the Program Get Cut? 

Why was the F-22 fleet plan reduced by so much? Why wasn’t the F-22 production line re-started?  Various variables may have impacted these questions, the most prominent of which may simply be timing in 2009.  

Not only had the Cold War ended, resulting in a diminished Russian threat, but the US military was entirely absorbed in counterinsurgency wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Decision makers may have simply been overly distracted with pressing counter-terrorism challenges and lacked the necessary “long-term” vision to anticipate the 2020s and 2030s threat environment accurately. 

This seems to be the most plausible argument, even though it indicates a disappointing lack of a longer-term vision regarding future challenges to the US military. 

The full extent of the F-22’s superiority may have yet to be fully understood, and senior weapons developers may have assumed a manned 6th-gen stealth fighter would emerge in coming years as an F-22 successor. 

Airframes Can Survive

There is a key lesson here that weapons developers do understand about aircraft modernization, as evidenced by platforms such as the B-52 and F-16. 

Airframes can remain structurally sound, viable, and effective for decades after a platform is built.

Yet, weapons, software, electronics, computing, propulsion, and avionics upgrades can make an aerial weapons platform an almost entirely different aircraft from its inception. 

The B-52, for instance, has received a new engine, internal weapons bay, intelligence data communications technology, and weapons enhancements. It remains a highly critical part of the Air Force’s modern fleet. 

Sure enough, the iconic B-52 has catapulted beyond its carpet bombing Vietnam-era tactics and is now able to fire long-range precision air-dropped bombs and cruise missiles. The aircraft also has an advanced, real-time radio and communications network to update target specifics “in-flight.” Moving forward, the B-52 could be used as an arsenal plane to transport weapons and even launch drones. 

There is a similar story with the 1980s-era F-16, as it has been massively upgraded through various “Service Life Extension Programs,” many of which have entirely reshaped the aircraft’s attack capabilities. Not only has the F-16 received structural support and weapons upgrades, but many F-16s  have also been retrofitted with F-35 technologies such as the AESA radar. 

The same can be said of the F-22, given its successful modernization campaign, which is likely why the Air Force plans to fly the attack platform into the 2060s. As part of this, the service has ambitious plans for the Raptor to include the ability to, among other things, control drones from the cockpit. 

The Air Force should have “more” F-22s to scale its capabilities in a great power engagement. 

About the Author: Kris Osborn 

Kris Osborn is the Military Affairs Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.