Fate of the F-22 Raptor

At only two years old, the F-22 Raptor is said to be the most advanced fighter jet to ever take to the skies. The jet recently wowed audiences in the Farnborough airshow with acrobatics to include a tail stand and backflip maneuvers. Each F-22 Raptor costs a cool $140 million and more than half of the 183 ordered aircraft are already in service. The Air Force has requested an additional 198 F-22 Raptors, though that order is in jeopardy as Congress has not allotted any additional funding to the program. Normally, this would not be a problem as the weapons industry would sell their wares to overseas allies. However, the F-22 Raptor is such a superior aircraft that the United States has banned Lockheed Martin from selling them to any country. Prior sales were considered to allies such as Israel, Australia and Japan but none were ever authorized. With future orders in limbo and a restricted market, Lockheed Martin is actually faced with the prospect of shutting down the F-22 Raptor project altogether.

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