Lockheed Martin F-22A (91-4003) Raptor Walk Around Page 1

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These pictures were taken and shared with the web by Weichao Chen .

The Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor is the world's first stealthy air dominance fighter. Its radar, weapons control and electronic warfare systems work together as one integrated unit. The Raptor combines stealth, maneuverability and the ability to fly long distances at supersonic speeds -- or supercruise -- in performance of air superiority and air-to-ground missions. Furthermore, it requires less maintenance than older fighters.

In 1981 the U.S. Air Force needed a new air superiority fighter that would take advantage of new technologies in fighter design including composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight control systems, higher power propulsion systems and stealth technology. Lockheed Martin's F-22 won the design competition in April 1991, and the rollout ceremony for the first F-22 Raptor occurred in April 1997.

The Raptor successfully completed its initial operational and test evaluation in 2004, and the program received approval for full rate production. In December 2005 operational aircraft were designated F-22As.

Production of the F-22A is a partnership between Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney. Boeing builds the Raptor's wings and aft-fuselage, the engines come from Pratt & Whitney, and Lockheed Martin builds the forward fuselage and assembles the subsections in Marietta, Ga.

Located at the National Museum of the Air Force, Wright Patterson AFB, OH.

- NMAF Fact Sheet