science

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor rather than just read about it. In short: The Lockheed Martin–Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American twin-engine, jet-powered, all-weather, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft. As a product of the United States Air Force's (USAF) Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed as an air superiority fighter, but also incorporates ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence capabilities.

Key takeaways

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Lockheed Martin–Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American twin-engine, jet-powered, all-weather, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft. As a product of the United States Air Force's (USAF) Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed as an air superiority fighter, but also incorporates ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence capabilities. The prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, built most of the F-22 airframe and weapons systems and conducted final assembly, while program partner Boeing provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems. First flown in 1997, the F-22 descended from the Lockheed YF-22 and was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 before it formally entered service in December 2005 as the F-22A. It replaced the F-15 Eagle in most active duty USAF squadrons. Although the service had originally planned to buy a total of 750 ATFs to replace its entire F-15 fleet, it later scaled down to 381 and the program was ultimately cut to 195 aircraft – 187 of them operational models – in 2009 due to political opposition from high costs, a perceived lack of air-to-air threats at the time of production, and the development of the more affordable and versatile F-35 Lightning II. The last aircraft was delivered in 2012. The F-22 is a critical component of the USAF's tactical airpower as its most advanced air superiority fighter. While it had a protracted development and initial operational difficulties, the aircraft became the service's leading counter-air platform. Its regular deployments have included Okinawa, the Middle East, and NATO's eastern flank. Although designed for air superiority operations, the F-22 first engaged in combat by conducting airstrikes in 2014 during the US intervention in Syria. The F-22 has carried out and supported airstrikes in the war in Afghanistan in 2017, 2025 strikes on Iran, 2026 strikes on Venezuela, and the 2026 Iran war. The F-22 is expected to remain a cornerstone of the USAF's fighter fleet until its successor, the Boeing F-47, is expected to enter service around 2030.

Development

Origins

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. Intelligence reports indicated that their effectiveness would be eroded by emerging worldwide threats emanating from the Soviet Union, including new developments in surface-to-air missile systems for integrated air defense networks, the introduction of the Beriev A-50 "Mainstay" airborne warning and control system (AWACS), and the proliferation of the Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker" and Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum" class of fighter aircraft. Code-named "Senior Sky", the ATF would become an air superiority fighter program influenced by these threats; in the potential scenario of a Soviet and Warsaw Pact invasion in Central Europe, the ATF was envisaged to support the air-land battle by spearheading offensive and defensive counter-air operations (OCA/DCA) in this highly contested environment that would then enable following echelons of NATO strike and attack aircraft to perform air interdiction against ground formations; to do so, the ATF would make an ambitious leap in capability and survivability by taking advantage of the new technologies in fighter design on the horizon, including composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight control systems and avionics, more powerful propulsion systems for supersonic cruise (or supercruise) around Mach 1.5, and stealth technology for low observability. The USAF published an ATF request for information (RFI) to the aerospace industry in May 1981, and following a period of concept and specification development, the ATF System Program Office (SPO) issued the demonstration and validation (Dem/Val) request for proposals (RFP) in September 1985, with requirements placing strong emphasis on stealth, supersonic cruise and maneuver. The RFP saw some alterations after its initial release, including more stringent signature reduction requirements in December 1985 and the addition of the requirement for flying technology demonstrator prototypes in May 1986. Owing to the immense investments required to develop the advanced technologies, teaming among companies was encouraged. Of the seven bidding companies, Lockheed and Northrop were selected on 31 October 1986 as Dem/Val finalists. Lockheed, through its Skunk Works division at Burbank, California, teamed with Boeing and General Dynamics, while Northrop teamed with McDonnell Douglas. These two contractor teams undertook a 50-month Dem/Val phase to compete for ATF full-scale development, culminating in the flight test of two technology demonstrator prototypes, the Lockheed YF-22 and Northrop YF-23; while they represented competing designs, the prototypes were meant for demonstrating concept viability and risk mitigation rather than a competitive flyoff. Concurrently, Pratt & Whitney and General Electric competed for the ATF engines.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor: Evolution of the F-22 design from 1987, with the bottom being the production configuration — Evolution of the F-22 design from 1987, with the bottom being the production configuration

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor: An EMD F-22 alongside the Flying Test Bed — An EMD F-22 alongside the Flying Test Bed

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

In research: Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1990s United States fighter aircraft, Aircraft first flown in 1997, Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor in simple terms?

Why does Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.