The F-22 and F-35 share the same stealth fighter DNA, because they were both made by the same firm, Lockheed Martin. However, these aircraft were not designed or intended to compete with one another for the same role.
We may call them both fighters, because they are designed and equipped for air-to-air combat, but each has very different specializations.
You might think of it as the difference between elite special operations units like Seal Team 6 and Delta. Their skill sets do overlap a great deal and, in a pinch, either is a good choice for any direct combat action, but at a fundamental level, SEALs and Delta guys have unique mission specializations that set them apart.
The F-22 Raptor is a thoroughbred air superiority fighter. Although the Raptor has the ability to drop JDAMs against targets on the ground, its design didn’t prioritize engagements against such targets.
The Raptor is a powerhouse with more thrust on tap than the SR-71 Blackbird; thrust-vectoring engines for incredible aerobatics; and the smallest radar cross section of any fighter that’s ever seen service. The Raptor truly is a fighter Ferrari that was designed at a time when Defense budgets were a lot bigger, and so was the Pentagon’s penchant for overkill.
Yet, by the time the Raptor reached production, the Soviet Union had fallen and by the time the Global War on Terror kicked off, American lawmakers didn’t see much need to pay Ferrari prices for a jet that nobody could compete with.
The new geopolitical environment resulted in the F-22 having abbreviated production run, with just 184 jets delivered. This is also really the Raptor’s Achilles’s heel, because it further raised the already incredibly high costs of buying and maintaining these fighters.
The newer F-35 Lightning II, on the other hand, was designed with a much bigger emphasis on reducing cost and a much larger focus on air-to-ground operations. Rather than two insanely powerful F119 turbofans which is what the Raptor uses – the F-35 is powered by a single, more powerful F119 derivative called the F135.
Rather than the Raptor’s game-changing APG-77 active electronically scanned array radar (which is arguably still the better option for the air-to-air fight) the F-35 boasts the even more modern, though more ground-focused, APG-81 radar.
The F-35 is slower and less maneuverable than the Raptor, but its avionics are much more advanced, allowing for greater sensor fusion of data from both onboard sensors and sensors elsewhere in the battlespace, giving F-35 pilots unparalleled situational awareness. The F-35s also features helmet-cued targeting and the ability to detect and target enemy aircraft via their heat signatures alone – both capabilities that today’s Raptor fleet lacks.
The truth is, these fighters weren’t built to compete; they were built to work together, with Raptors flying high and clearing the airspace of any adversary jets, while F-35s take care of targets down below on the ground.
If you’re heading out to square off with enemy fighters from 80 miles out, the Raptor is still your best choice, but the F-35 will do just fine.
But if you want to be able to fight your way into and out of enemy airspace while wiping out enemy air command elements and defenses from further out than they can detect you, the F-35 is your best bet, but the Raptor could feasibly still do the job.
Feature Image: F-22 and F-35 flying in formation. (U.S. Air Force photo)
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