By Lemart @Adobe Stock
F-22’s Air Dominance and Dogfighting
David Berke, a retired Marine Corps officer and combat veteran, shared insights on the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, addressing the longstanding debate over which aircraft would prevail in an aerial combat scenario. While both are fifth-generation stealth fighters, they serve different roles. The F-22 is a twin-engine, air-superiority fighter designed for air dominance and dogfighting, with unmatched speed, maneuverability, and advanced air-to-air missile capabilities. EurAsian Times writes:
“The F-35 cannot match the F-22 as an air superiority fighter—it was never designed as such. The US Air Force’s initial plan was for the F-22 to be its high-end air superiority fighter. At the same time, the F-35 was developed essentially as an air-to-ground strike aircraft capable of protecting itself.
While the Raptor was designed with advanced stealth and super maneuverability, the F-35s were designed to be stealthy with exceptional sensors but with aerodynamic performance, only comparable to an F-16 and nowhere near the F-22 Raptor.
Read more here.
F-22: Potential for Greater Dominance with F-35 Technology
If the F-22 had been developed alongside the F-35, incorporating the same advanced technology, it would likely be an even more dominant air superiority fighter. With improved stealth, sensor fusion, and network integration, it would surpass current jets in both power and performance. The Air Force has continued to build on the F-22’s potential, consistently investing in upgrades. As a result, today’s F-22 is nearly a completely new aircraft, thanks to a wide array of technological and performance improvements.
In 2021, the F-22 began receiving Link 16 for two-way communication. This year, Lockheed Martin secured a $270 million contract to integrate a next-gen infrared defensive sensor system. The F-22 will soon feature the Infrared Defensive System (IRDS), enhancing its survivability and lethality in high-threat environments. Additionally, the F-22 is exploring Northrop Grumman’s “Freedom 550” technology to enable secure, stealthy communication with the F-35, preserving stealth by preventing detection or interception of the RF signal.
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has received a $270 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to integrate a system of next-generation infrared defensive sensors on the F-22 Raptor.
The F-22 will soon feature a newly developed, distributed set of embedded TacIRST sensors developed by Lockheed Martin to enhance aircraft survivability and lethality, known as the Infrared Defensive System (IRDS). In addition to managing integration of IRDS on the F-22, the company will also support integration on other platforms.
“We understand the need for advanced and versatile infrared systems like IRDS that will make pilots’ missions more survivable and lethal against current and future adversaries,” said Hank Tucker, vice president of Missions Systems at Lockheed Martin. “We’re committed to supporting the Air Force through continuous innovation of capabilities to deter and defeat evolving threats.”
The F-35 is a single-engine, multi-role fighter jet focused on air-to-ground missions but is still equipped with capable air-to-air weapons. Its ability to share data across a network of aircraft enhances its situational awareness, allowing it to engage in air-to-air combat with greater coordination, even if it lacks the raw speed and maneuverability of the F-22. The F-35 relies on the AIM-120 AMRAAM and has integration with advanced sensors that improve its ability to track and target enemy aircraft, making it highly effective in a networked combat environment.
Berke praised the F-35 for its unique sensing abilities, data-sharing capabilities, and role as a “quarterback” of battlefield systems, making it indispensable in modern combat. Despite its lower speed compared to the F-22, the F-35 is highly effective against non-stealthy aircraft and is seen as the most prolific 5th-gen aircraft globally. Berke also highlighted the aircraft’s cost-effectiveness due to technological advancements, emphasizing that the true value lies in its capabilities rather than production costs. Recent upgrades to the F-22 could erase those advantages in the future.
Read more about the upgrade of F-22 advanced infrared threat-detection sensors here.
F-35 Benefited from the Economies of Scale Rule
An F-22 typically costs around $361 million per aircraft, while an F-35 costs around $80-$100 million per unit based on the F-35 variant. The F-22’s ballooned price tag is a bit of a gray area, as it was limited in production numbers at 187, meaning the high development costs were distributed across fewer aircraft, driving up the unit cost. The F-35 was able to distribute development costs across 1,100 units. The F-22, however, costs approximately $88,000 per hour to operate, compared to the F-35, which costs around $33,000 per hour, but air superiority is priceless in the time of battle. The F-22 still stands as the only US fighter jet that has never been sold to foreign nations.
China’s 6th-Generation Fighter: A Future Challenge
China shocked the world with its flight tests of its J-36 and J-XX tailless 6th-generation fighter jets in December of 2024, which are expected to surpass the capabilities of current 5th-gen fighters like the F-35 and F-22. Though still in development, China’s 6th-gen aircraft aims to incorporate advanced artificial intelligence, autonomous capabilities, enhanced stealth features, and next-generation air-to-air missiles that could disrupt the power balance in future aerial combat. These advanced air-to-air missiles are expected to have longer ranges, greater precision, and improved stealth penetration, making them formidable in air superiority and strike roles. This development poses a challenge for the future dominance of current-generation fighters. Rathindra Kuruwita of The Diplomat writes:
On December 26, 2024, China carried out the test flights of its J-36 and J-XX fighter jets. It was Chairman Mao’s birthday that day, and the Chinese used the occasion to mark a huge milestone in their development of air fighting capability.
The J-36 and J-XX are tailless sixth-generation fighter jets. By revealing their prototypes, China signaled that it has surpassed both U.S. and Russian technologies by integrating AI, improved stealth, “hypersonic speeds, and advanced weaponry.” Not only do the two sixth-generation fighter aircraft have power generation capabilities that hover around the 1 MW mark, but also their integrated networked system could change the power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific.
This is the first time that a country has developed more advanced aircraft technology than the United States since the end of World War II. […]
China’s unveiling of the sixth-generation fighters, along with its recent advances in AI, semiconductors, and 6G sends a clear message to other powers. The coming decade is likely to see a dramatic realignment of military power in Asia, with China at the top of the fighter aircraft pecking order.
Read more about China’s 6th-generation fighters here.
Watch F-22 pilots shake their heads at the 2:30 mark in the video below when talking about the F-22 being the legacy 5th gen fighter to the F-35.
