Lockheed Martin / Boeing F-22 Raptor

The American F-22 was the first fifth-generation aircraft in operational service and is still the most powerful combat aircraft of this generation in terms of flight performance. Its creation at the end of the Cold War was reflected in the form of a task that had to take into account the then very positively perceived modern aircraft of the MiG-29 and Su-27 series and especially their expected future modernization. In comparison with them, it was already difficult for the American design school to come up with a new aircraft with significantly better maneuvering or performance characteristics. The acrobatic capabilities of both Soviet aircraft or elements such as the infrared passive targeting system or helmet-mounted sight surpassed the capabilities of American technology, and the US industry had to come up with an appropriate response that would ensure American technological dominance in the following period. So the task focused on other areas and required the competition teams to design a new generation aircraft that would bring the ability to operate covertly against the enemy. The Americans were able to use the experience with the F-117 aircraft, whose stealth capability was seen as a way to overcome the Soviet design school. This led to the concept of fifth-generation aircraft, which came with not only reduced stealth, but also the ability to fly supersonic without afterburning (supercruise mode), high maneuverability, and advanced integrated avionics. 

Although the prototypes of the competing YF-22 and YF-23 aircraft flew at a time when the Soviet communist regime was long gone, the dramatic change in the geopolitical situation was reflected primarily in the later reduction in the number of aircraft ordered and much less in the required capabilities. The winner of the American ATF competition was the YF-22 aircraft, which entered serial production as the F-22 Raptor. The first serial aircraft headed for the US Air Force at a time when it was clear that Russia would not be a dominant adversary in the coming decades. The reduction in the number of aircraft ordered to less than two hundred, together with the absolute ban on exports of the F-22, made it one of the most expensive aircraft in history in terms of unit price. And thanks to the limited production, the F-22 has not yet had a successor and is an aircraft that must remain in service at least until the end of the next decade. It is to be replaced by an aircraft resulting from the NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) project, the winner of which was the still completely unknown Boeing F-47. Its creation and serial expansion are not a matter of this decade and quite possibly not even the first half of the next, which is why the F-22 Raptor will remain one of the most powerful combat types in the The publication is A4 format, full-color on high-quality coated paper, V2 binding, 52 pages, many photos, color side views.