The history of the F-22 Raptor is one of visionary daring, engineering excellence, and the inexorable acceleration of change. Born in the early 1980s, when the Cold War was still raging in full fury, the Raptor was to be the supreme master of whatever battlefield lay ahead.
The United States Air Force sought a plane that would look but not be seen, strike first and strike always, and emerge victorious in every engagement. When it took to the skies in 1997, it lived up to that promise—stealthy, lightning-fast, and unparalleled at the dogfight. By the time it entered operational service in 2005, it was widely regarded as the most versatile air superiority fighter in the world.
But history will change the mission. The Soviet Union collapsed before the Raptor was ready for duty, and the U.S. military was preoccupied with counterinsurgency warfare, not dogfights with enemy air forces. The initial order of 750 planes was cut to 186, with fewer than 150 available for action. That limited fleet made the jet both valuable and expensive to operate.
For decades, the F-22’s technological superiority was not a question, but the world and technology didn’t stay stagnant. The Raptor’s design wasn’t designed for upgrade simplicity, and with avionics and digital technologies evolving, modernization was no longer an easy task. Billions of dollars were invested in upgrades—from enhanced armaments to advanced sensors and electronic warfare equipment—but the fundamental design of the jet lay in a bygone era.
Meanwhile, competitors were closing in. China rolled out its fifth-generation J-20, Russia continued to experiment with stealth fighters, and modern air defenses grew increasingly lethal. The Raptor remained a fearsome adversary in close combat, but future wars would hinge on data sharing, long-range targeting, and integrated networks—areas where the F-22 was never intended to excel.
Come in the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, the Air Force’s aggressive move to get out in front of the curve. NGAD is not another fighter aircraft program—it’s an integrated “system of systems” that brings together a sixth-generation manned fighter and autonomous wingman drones, advanced sensors, adaptive engines, and new command-and-control capabilities.
The centerpiece, now known as the F-47, will dominate the role in this new system. In a shock to the defense industry, Boeing—not Lockheed Martin—won the contract.
The F-47, in its quiet way, has been flying experimentally for almost five years, the Air Force said. It was hailed by President Donald Trump as the most advanced and dangerous aircraft ever constructed, and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin described it as a generational leap, providing more range, stealth, and versatility than any existing fighter.
That jump won’t be affordable. Initial estimates had the F-47 costing a whopping $300 million per plane, although the Air Force is planning to get it down to the F-35 price of around $100 million. The 2025 budget blueprint allocates $2.7 billion for NGAD, with close to $20 billion reserved over the next five years.
The retirement of the F-22 is not just the conclusion of a weapons program—it’s the recognition that air combat has turned a corner. The battle for air dominance is no longer simply about speed and agility; it’s about who senses, decides, and acts quickest in a contested, information-rich battlespace.
The Raptor might have dominated the skies for almost two decades, but the baton is being handed over to the F-47 and the larger NGAD family—a capability constructed not for yesterday’s dogfights but for tomorrow’s wars.
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