Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
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The F-22 Raptor is a fighter aircraft made by Lockheed Martin. It first flew in 1990 and entered service in the United States Air Force in 2005. Because it is very expensive and dogfighting isn't common today, there aren't as many of them as other fighter planes. It is a stealth aircraft meaning it is very hard to see on radar. It can hold six radar-guided medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and two heat-seeking, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, but it can hold other payloads. Its top speed is 1,500 miles per hour, which is 1.9 times the speed of sound. It features thrust vectoring, whereby the plane's thrust nozzles turn to help turn it faster. Thrust vectoring is very useful in dogfights.
The F-22 Raptor is a 5th generation fighter and is a very expensive plane to produce. In order to protect the F-22 Raptor's stealth technology and other secrets, the U.S. has not sold the F-22 Raptor to other countries, even to its closest allies. Export versions not as powerful as the ones used by the U.S. might be sold in future.
