Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

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 plane, which means it is very hard to see on radar. It can hold 6 radar-guided medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and 2 heat-seeking, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, but there are other payloads it can hold. It's top speed is 1,500 miles per hour, which is 2.2 times the speed of sound. It features thrust vectoring, where 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 it's closest allies.