The U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, both fifth-generation stealth fighters, serve distinct roles. The F-22 excels in air superiority with superior speed and maneuverability, while the F-35 is a versatile, multi-role platform with advanced data integration and diverse munitions capabilities. The F-22's unmatched stealth and aerial combat prowess make it ideal for dogfights, particularly against advanced adversaries like China’s J-20. The F-35, on the other hand, offers lower maintenance costs, easier updates, and broader mission versatility, making it a crucial asset in modern, integrated combat scenarios.
F-22 or F-35: Deciding the Future of U.S. Air Superiority
Both are fifth-generation stealth fighters. The F-22 is older and will eventually be replaced by the Next-generation Air Dominance Fighter (NGAD). The F-35 is popular on the export market with numerous partners and buyers. The F-22 is banned from foreign military sales. The F-35 can dogfight, but it was not originally designed to be an air superiority fighter compared to the F-22. Let’s examine how these fighters compare and contrast.
I’m leaning toward the F-35 before writing this article, but I might change my mind by the end.
Former Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh told Defense News that the F-35 "was never designed to be the next dog fighting machine. It was designed to be the multipurpose, data-integration platform that could do all kinds of things in the air-to-ground arena. It had an air-to-air capability, but it was not intended to be an air-superiority fighter. That was the F-22.”
F-22 Is Better at Aerial Combat
The F-22 is faster than the F-35 – MACH 2.2 versus MACH 1.6 for the Lightning II. The F-22 is 30 percent heavier, but it may be more maneuverable due to its Pratt & Whitney F119 engines providing more thrust (70,000 pounds) than the single Pratt & Whitney F-135 engine on the F-35. The F119 engine’s thrust vectoring also may give the Raptor an edge in aerial combat with a higher thrust-to-weight ratio.
F-35 Is More Modernized Than F-22
But the F-35 has other advantages. It requires less maintenance and lower costs to keep in the air. It has the capability of receiving timely software updates and is believed to serve as a computer in the air.
The F-35 has a better capability concerning weapons. Military Watch Magazine went into further detail on the F-35’s multi-role characteristics. “As the F-22 is a specialized air superiority platform, it also lacks the ability to carry medium-sized or heavy air-to-ground munitions such as the AGM-154 [Joint Stand-off Weapon] internally. As a result, the F-22 has no nuclear strike, anti-shipping, anti-radiation, or standoff air-to-ground capabilities while the more versatile F-35 is perfectly capable of performing in all of these roles.”
But the F-22 Can Accomplish some Air to Ground Attacks
On the other hand, the F-22 can carry six LAU-142/A launchers for beyond-line-of-sight missiles. The other two weapons bays have one LAU-141/A launcher each to fire short and medium-range Sidewinders and AMRAAMs. This gives the Raptor an advantage in dogfighting. Ground strike is also possible with precision-guided and unguided bombs.
Enough F-35s for Everyone
Since it has three variants for three different service branches, the F-35 is more versatile and has met the needs of the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Conventional take-off and landing, vertical take-off and landing, and carrier-based take-off and landing are all possible.
F-35s Have Robust Ordnance
The F-35 can carry weapons internally or externally for ground attack and aerial combat. Notable surface strike munitions are Paveway laser-guided bombs and the future SPEAR-3 land-attack and anti-ship missiles. External hardpoints can carry the JASSM cruise missile.
Compare Stealth Capability
Which airplane has better stealth capability? Both fighters have similar levels of stealthiness with the edge going to the Raptor. The F-35 has “a smaller radar cross-section [compared to non-stealth airplanes] due to alignment of edges, masking engine and turbine, and serration of skin panels,” according to Aero Corner. But the F-22 has a lower radar cross section compared to the F-35.
Who Do You Love?
Both fighters are needed as they are complementary to each other. They are designed for different missions: air superiority for the F-22 and multi-role for the F-35. But which one is preferred for the modern fight? If dogfighting is not needed, and it hasn’t been in the air war over Ukraine, the F-35s ability as a data collector, quarterback in the sky that can fly with drones someday, and ability to deliver stand-off missiles, would give it the advantage. If dogfighting is needed, especially in a conflict with China when the Chinese would send up the J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter, the F-22 is the preferred airplane.
My inclination is to pick the F-35 because it can fly with numerous U.S. allies that have purchased it. It is more configured for being able to interact with unmanned craft and to clear the way for follow-on aircraft such as non-stealth fighters and stealth / conventional bombers. The F-22 is better at going head-to-head against the enemy’s best fighter. The performance of each will depend on the type of aerial battle that the United States engages in during future conflict.
Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, all collectively known as stealth technology.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Stealth_aircraft
Aerial warfare includes bombers attacking enemy installations or a concentration of enemy troops or strategic targets; fighter aircraft battling for control of airspace; attack aircraft engaging in close air support against ground targets; naval aviation flying against sea and nearby land targets; gliders, helicopters ...
prowess make it ideal for dogfights, particularly against advanced adversaries like China's J-20. The F-35, on the other hand, offers lower maintenance costs, easier updates, and broader mission versatility, making it a crucial asset in modern, integrated combat scenarios.
Summary. The F-22 Raptor outperforms the F-35 Lightning II in speed and climb rate, making it a formidable interceptor. The F-35's versatility in armament surpasses the F-22, enabling it to serve various missions, including nuclear deterrence and air-to-ground strikes.
Although the fifth-generation F-22 and the fourth-generation Su-35 have almost similar capabilities, the latter's superior dogfighting capabilities, significantly cheaper cost, and IRST technology give the Russian jet one clear edge over the US aircraft.
At least two Eurofighters scored kills against F-22s… but there's more to this story. We know for sure that at least some (likely two) Eurofighters actually scored notional kills against their F-22 opponents in these drills.
The F-22 scored well against its training opponents, “shooting down” six Rafales and drawing in five more mock dogfights. However, one Emirati Mirage 2000 managed to “shoot down” an F-22. If that wasn't enough for the world's most advanced fighter jet at the time, a Rafale also defeated an F-22 in a mock dogfight.
Where the F-35 differentiates from the F-22 is at sensory and connectivity game. Although both aircraft have superb situational awareness, the F-35 takes it a step further by using its sensors, information fusion, and data link capabilities to make other aircraft, even older ones, more deadly and effective.
No the Rafale has a minimized radar cross section but it's many 1000s of times larger than the F-22. Several aircraft have “defeated” the F-22 in excercises that severely limited the F-22s advantages. In other words WVR dogfighting against an aircraft that the F-22 would always kill you before you could ever find it.
However, the F-22 is considered to be the more maneuverable aircraft, and with equally skilled pilots – a major variable as well – the Raptor could win the day. Additionally, it has been suggested that the Su-57 ranks last in stealth among the various fifth-generation aircraft.
The F-22s won every single time, close in or at a distance. Later when experienced F-22 pilots went back to the F-15 and tried to fight the same battles they lost every time, so even knowing the F-22 capabilities and tactics didn't make any difference to the result.
The F-22 Raptor is the world's most advanced stealth fighter, and it has set the standard for modern military aviation. Its advanced stealth and avionics systems, as well as its unmatched agility, make it a formidable force to be reckoned with.
Both aircraft are leaders in their field, but they have differences in capability. The F-35 specializes in low radar cross-section operations, while the Su-57 embodies stealth and can fire at specific angles. The F-35 has seen widespread demand worldwide, while the Su-57 offers unmatched speed and offensive power.
An F-22 should have little to no problem in a close-range dogfight against a MiG-29, GIVEN THAT it survives the first few passes. For context, when East and West Germany re-unified, U.S. pilots did mock combat with the former East-German MiG-29s in their F-16s. While the MiG-29 did have the high-off-…
The F-22 is faster than the F-35 – MACH 2.2 versus MACH 1.6 for the Lightning II. The F-22 is 30 percent heavier, but it may be more maneuverable due to its Pratt & Whitney F119 engines providing more thrust (70,000 pounds) than the single Pratt & Whitney F-135 engine on the F-35.
Head to head with no Awacs or ROE the F-35 would dust a Eurofighter 100% of the time not including massive pilot error. The Eurofighter does have advantages in Kinematics and aerobatics than the F-35, although much goes away not flying clean, so it probably makes a better missile truck than the F-35.
When compared to the American-developed F-35 Lightning II, the US aircraft has been widely produced and achieved superior stealth and sensor capability. This has given Lockheed a significant step ahead of the Russian Su-57 and will ensure the F-35 remains a formidable fighter in combat.
While the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program would eventually surpass the F-22 program in total costs, the F-22 still reigns as the most expensive-per-unit fighter. So, how did the F-22 come to be so uniquely expensive?
The Pratt & Whitney F135 is the most powerful fighter engine in the world. With a top speed of Mach 1.6, the F-35 is a long range, supersonic fighter, even with a full complement of internal weapons and fuel.
Introduction: My name is Greg O'Connell, I am a delightful, colorful, talented, kind, lively, modern, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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