What Is Next For The U.S. Air Force F-22 Fleet

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
The F-22 is the U.S. Air Force’s dominant air superiority fighter, but increasing threats abroad and low readiness metrics have pushed the Air Force to accelerate the Raptor’s retirement and bring on its replacement.
Credit: Staff Sgt. Donald Hudson/U.S. Air Force
America’s premier fighter jet is entering rough skies, with the U.S. Air Force looking to retire it decades earlier than planned. The air dominance of Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor, the aircraft that introduced the world to fifth-generation fighters when it became operational in 2005, is being...
Brian Everstine

Brian Everstine is the Pentagon Editor for Aviation Week, based in Washington, D.C. Before joining Aviation Week in August 2021, he covered the Pentagon for Air Force Magazine. Brian began covering defense aviation in 2011 as a reporter for Military Times.

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