Since the USAF introduced the F-35 in 2016, in order to combat the next generation of Chinese and Russian jets, many members of the public, generals and avgeeks have wondered which is better- F-22 or F-35?
Both the F-22 and F-35 were brought into service because they were stealth aircraft that could shoot the enemy down before the enemy even knew they were there. But which one is superior? Today we find out!
F-35 vs F-22: What is Stealth?
The general public gets stealth almost completely wrong. To many in the general public, stealth means that no radar can hit or find the aircraft, no matter how hard it tries.
Some members of the public actually believe that “stealth” means “invisible” (to the human eye). However, this is completely wrong in terms of the stealth technology we have today!
In reality, stealth is the combination of materials, angles and color. Most stealth aircraft are made of materials that are radar-absorbent materials that absorb the majority of radar waves into them.
To aid in that, many stealth aircraft are also coated in a dark-colored, radar-absorbent paint that also helps to absorb the majority of the radar waves that hit them.
When you look at stealth aircraft, including the F-35 and F-22, but also older ones like the SR-71, A-12 and F-117, they all have very jagged edges. This helps to reflect the radar down, to the side or upwards rather than back at the radar.
F-35 vs F-22: The Basics
Before we can begin comparing the F-35 and F-22, we need to know a little background first!
F-35
In the late 1980’s, the US military had just passed over a replacement for the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F-16 Agile Falcon. The USAF, USN and USMC realized they all had an ageing fleet, with the F-16s, F/A-18s, A-10s and the Harrier all needing replacement.
The RAF also had a similar issue- their Harrier GR7s, Harrier GR9s and Tornado GR4s had recently entered service, but with no replacement in sight.
As such, the USAF, USN, USMC and RAF combined their fifth generation fighter programs to create the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The cohort of military branches saw the future of military aviation with stealth as well as STOVL.
The result was that one of the main criteria of the JSF program was that the aircraft had to have a small radar cross section. By 1996, the cohort had singled out the designs from Lockheed and Boeing to be developed further.
Lockheed designated their prototype the X-35, whereas Boeing designated their aircraft the X-32 (which had one of the strangest aircraft designs!). The X-32 first flew September 18 2000 where the X-35 first flew October 24 2000.
After much testing, re-engineering and further testing, the cohort came to an agreement. On October 26 2006, the USAF, USN and USMC announced that the Lockheed Martin X-35 had won.
They further announced that it would enter production as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The British soon followed through and announced that they’d purchase the F-35 as well.
F-22
The 1980’s saw the introduction of the F-15 with the USAF. As such, the USAF began to look to the future, and to a replacement for the F-15. The USAF saw the future in stealth following the success of the SR-71.
As such, they sent out proposals to all of the major US aircraft manufacturers. They wanted a fighter that could replace the F-15 by the early-to-mid 2000’s, when the F-15 would be phased out by 2020.
Seven of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the US submitted seven different proposals. Two of these proposals- the one from Lockheed and the one from Northrop were selected for further development.
Lockheed designated their aircraft the YF-22, where Northrop designated their aircraft the YF-23. The first YF-23 took fight for the first time on August 27 1990 where the first YF-22 took its maiden flight on September 29 1990.
Following these test flights, the USAF announced that they’d purchase the the Lockheed YF-22. The YF-22 entered production as the Lockheed Martin F-22, as with many other fighter jets, the F-22 was nicknamed “Raptor”.
The F-22 Raptor was entered into service in December 2005, with the USAF. As a part of Lockheed Martin’s agreement with the USAF, Lockheed Martin can’t sell the F-22 to anyone but the USAF.
To date, 187 F-22 Raptors have been built and delivered to the USAF, filling several squadrons of F-22 Raptor. The F-22 Raptor stopped being produced in 2011, with the last being delivered in 2012.
F-35 vs F-22: Specs
Several variants of the F-35 exist, and the F-22 has been developed further into other jets. As such, we will compare the specifications of the most common variants of the F-35 and F-22.
The most common variant of the F-35 is the F-35A, currently in service with the USAF among others. The most common variant of the F-22 is the F-22A, also in service with the USAF.
| Specifications | F-35A | F-22A |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 14.4 ft (4.4 m) | 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m) |
| Wingspan | 35 ft (11 m) | 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m) |
| Length | 51.4 ft (15.7 m) | 62 ft 1 in (18.92 m) |
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
| Aspect Ratio | 2.66 | 2.36 |
| Speed | Mach 1.6 (1,228 mph, 1,976 km/h, 1,067 kn) | Mach 2.25 (1,500 mph, 2,414 km/h, 1,488 kn) |
| Combat Range | 669 nmi (770 mi, 1,239 km) | 460 nmi (530 mi, 850 km) |
| Service Ceiling | 50,000 ft (15,000 m) | 65,000 ft (20,000 m) |
| G Limits | +9.0/−3.0 | +9.0/−3.0 |
| Armament | 25 mm GAU-22/A; 2x AIM-120C; 2x GBU-31 JDAM | M61A2 cannon; 2x AIM-9 ; 6x AIM-120; 2x GBU-32; 2x AIM-120 |
F-35 vs F-22: Cost
After looking at the specs, it might be tempting to declare a winner already, but you need to look at the whole picture- cost included.
F-35
The F-35 has three main variants designed to be used by different services, as such, they have different technology inside them, therefore, they come with different price tags too!
The F-35A, marketed mainly to air forces, comes with the cheapest price tag of only $79.2 million. The F-35B, marketed mostly to amphibious forces, comes with a price tag of $115.5 million.
The F-35C, mainly marketed to navies, come with a price tag of $108.8 million. However, you have to buy several F-35s at once, and have to pass a background check making sure you are indeed a military.
F-22
For the longest time, the price tag of the F-22 was a closely held secret. This mostly stemmed from the fact that the F-22 can’t be exported abroad at the moment, with it looking unlikely in the future.
The F-22 Raptor comes with a hefty price tag for a military fighter jet. The F-22’s price tag is $150 million according to a press release from Lockheed Martin and the US military..
With that being said, you will likely never be able to buy an F-22 unless you are the US military. The only way you would be able to is to buy one when they get retired or if they lifted the ban, which is unlikely.
F-35 vs F-22: Operations
Both the F-35 and F-22 are currently in service and have seen active front line service in the same conflict: Afghanistan.
F-35
The first USMC F-35Bs were deployed to Afghanistan in July 2018. There, they flew from US Navy aircraft carriers and attacked Taliban-controlled territory. Their main target has often been military.
However, upon the F-35s being stationed to Al Dhafra Air Base, the F-35s began attacking opium fields that were under the control of the Taliban, or their supply routes in and out of the country.
Other than being deployed in the Middle East, the F-35 has been deployed in Cyprus with the RAF, as well as several USAF bases with other foreign air forces and navies.
F-22
Due to the Taliban’s lack of an air force, the F-22 hasn’t seen any active air-to-air dogfights with Afghani fighter jets. Instead, the F-22 has served mostly in a bomber role.
Upon deployment in 2017, the F-22 frequently joined the B-52 in bombing raids over Taliban-controlled territory. Their most frequent target was opium fields which provide the Taliban with the bulk of their income.
Other than serving in Afghanistan, many F-22s have been deployed to help protect America’s greatest Asian ally- Japan. The F-22 has also been deployed to Germany and Poland in the past too.
F-35 vs F-22: Opinions
Recent years have seen both the F-35 and F-22 programs come under increased scrutiny. As such, we have interviewed several different groups of people about their opinions on the F-35 and F-22.
Pilots
I was able to interview several different F-22 and F-35 pilots. Whilst most were former F-15 and F-16 pilots, a few were former Harrier pilots. I was actually able to interview an F-35 pilot who has flown the F-22 in real life and a simulator!
Of the F-22 and F-35 pilots, many of them preferred the aircraft that they flew. However, a few spoke about the good bits about the other aircraft, such as the speed of the F-22 or the range of the F-35.
The F-35 pilot who has also flown on the F-22 said that he thought the F-22 Raptor was the superior aircraft. He said that the F-22 could kill an F-35 before the F-35 would even realize the F-22 was there!
Avgeeks
I was also able to ask several members of the avgeek community their opinions on the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor. As with so many other aircraft comparisons, many preferred one or the other.
One group of avgeeks preferred the F-35 Lightning II. They cited the fact that the F-35, despite being inferior in terms of its specifications, there is strength in numbers- there are three times as many F-35s than there are F-22s.
The other group of avgeeks preferred the F-22 Raptor. In fact, this was the majority of avgeeks. They cited the fact that the F-22 was actually the better aircraft in almost every aspect but its range.
Public
The general pubic had the most to say about the F-35 and the F-22 programs. The media has heavily scrutinized the F-35 program in particular over the past few years, but has also done the same with the F-22.
As such, when I interviewed members of the general public about the F-35 and the F-22, many of them have a negative view of both the F-35 and F-22. Very few of them actually had a positive view on the two programs.
Of the perhaps forty people I interviewed, only one had a positive view on them- although he was a retired USAF Captain (non-pilot). He said that he preferred the F-35 to the F-22, but that he never saw or few on either aircraft.
Me
It may seem a bit irrelevant why I am adding my own opinions in this article, however, I believe that there may be an inherent “bias” in this article as a result of my opinions.
When it comes to the F-35 and the F-22, I would personally choose the F-22. To me, it looks better, sounds better, is better as a weapon. To me, the F-22 outclasses the F-35 a in almost all regards!
I even went as far to name my own company in honor of the F-22. This is a company I established only a few years ago, after seeing the F-22 in person, and thinking how cool it was!
Summary
In terms of opinions and specifications, the F-22 outclasses the F-35 in almost every regard. The F-22 is 300 mph faster than the F-35, whilst also being larger and more agile than the F-35.
The F-22 also has a smaller aspect ratio, meaning that its harder for radars to detect an F-22 than it is an F-35. The F-22 also travels higher than the F-35 does, meaning that the F-35 may never see it coming…
However, in terms of numbers, the F-35 outclasses the F-22. If all the world’s F-35s turned on the F-22s, the F-35s would prevail- after all, there is strength in numbers.
F-35 vs F-22- Which is the better aircraft? Tell me in the comments!