Aircraft & UAVs

F-22 Raptor

The F-22 Raptor is a U.S. fifth-generation stealth fighter built for air dominance with supercruise, integrated avionics, and internal weapons carriage. Although designed primarily for air-to-air combat, U.S. Air Force sources document its precision-strike role in Operation Inherent Resolve and its inclusion in the 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer strike package against Iran.

Conflict side
U.S.-led coalition and partner forcesUnited States
Built by
Lockheed Martin; Boeing
Built in
United States
F-22 Raptor, Fifth-generation stealth air-superiority fighter, Aircraft & UAVs

Service History

In service
Initial operational capability in December 2005
Used by
U.S. Air Force
Wars
Operation Inherent Resolve, United States-Iran Conflict

Production History

Designer
Lockheed Martin and Boeing, with Pratt & Whitney F119 engines
Designed
Advanced Tactical Fighter selected in 1991; first engineering and manufacturing development flight in 1997
Built by
Lockheed Martin; Boeing
Built in
United States
Unit cost
$143 million, U.S. Air Force fact-sheet figure
Produced
Low-rate initial production approved in 2001; full-rate production approved in 2005
Number built
183 aircraft in U.S. Air Force total-force inventory, per August 2022 fact sheet
Variants
F-22A

Specifications

Crew
One
Engines
Two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 afterburning turbofans with thrust-vectoring nozzles
Speed
Mach two class with supercruise capability
Range
More than 1,850 miles ferry range with two external wing fuel tanks
Ceiling
Above 50,000 feet
Armament
M61A2 20 mm cannon; internal carriage for AIM-120, AIM-9, GBU-32 JDAM, or small-diameter bomb loadouts

Conflict Usage

Operation Inherent Resolve
Side: U.S.-led coalition and partner forces

U.S. Air Force F-22s flew Operation Inherent Resolve missions over Syria and Iraq, including 2015 short-notice strikes against Islamic State artillery and fighting positions with small-diameter bombs and GBU-32 JDAMs.

United States-Iran Conflict
Side: United States

U.S. Air Force material published through CENTCOM identified F-22 Raptors as aircraft used in the strike package that carried out Operation Midnight Hammer against Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.

Related Weapon Systems

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EA-18G Growler, Carrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsEA-18G GrowlerCarrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraftThe EA-18G Growler is a Boeing-built electronic attack derivative of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, fielded to jam, detect, and attack hostile radars, communications, and air-defense networks while retaining missile carriage for suppression missions. U.S. Navy and Australian Growlers provide carrier or land-based electronic warfare support, with recent documented use in Operation Inherent Resolve, Red Sea operations against Houthi forces, and the U.S.-Iran strike context.

Sources