The U.S. military has deployed the F-22 and F-35 in complementary but very different roles, as demonstrated by their significant design differences with their own relative strengths and weaknesses.
Lockheed Martin, despite stiff competition from Northrop Grumman and other aircraft manufacturers, has helped the US reach the absolute pinnacle of defense aviation with the development of the F-35 Lightning and F-22 Raptors. The U.S. military has deployed the F-22 and F-35 in complementary but very different roles, as demonstrated by their significant design differences with their own relative strengths and weaknesses. They are undoubtedly the most advanced fighters compared to any other fighter on the planet, however, what one often wonders is who will come out on top if both of them are pitched against each other.
While the F-35 is a single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters capable of performing ground attacks and air defense missions, the F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet is a single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, fifth-generation, stealth, multi-role fighter.
The F-35 is currently the most interested fighter on the planet because of its superiority. However, the only reason why the Raptors do not trump the F-35s in sales is basically that the F-22s are not even in the running for a potential sale. Yes, that’s right. The United States has federal law over the export of the fighters with the Pentagon fearing that such incredible designs and technology could fall into the wrong hands.
The F-22 Raptors possess a set of unexplored unique features which have been classified by the US government, so much so that even the Raptor pilots are often not given the permission to use the full capabilities of the fighters in international exercises. In terms of stealth technology, the F-22 Raptors are considered the stealthiest fighter jets on the planet with the aircraft boasting an even reduced cross radar section than that of the F-35s.
The F-35 cannot match the F-22 as an air superiority fighter, it was never designed as such. The U.S. Air Force’s original plan was for the F-22 to be its high-end air superiority fighter while the F-35 was designed to be primarily an air-to-ground strike aircraft, but one which could defend itself. Thus, while the Raptor was designed with a very high degree of stealth, exceptional kinematic performance, and extreme maneuverability, the JSF was designed to be stealthy, networked, and have exceptional sensors, but with aerodynamic performance is not comparable.
There are plenty of things that the F-35 can do slightly better than the F-22, but there are few things the Lightning can do that the Raptor simply cannot. The F-35A and F-35C are able to carry 2,000lb-class bombs (like the GBU-31 variants) that the F-22 simply can’t. Raptors, which favor air-to-air combat, can only carry 1,000lb bombs like the GBU-32. It’s also cleared to fire the 250lb-class GBU-39 and may one day receive the capability to launch GBU-53 – all of which the Lightning can carry with ease.
In addition to the F-35B’s unique take-off ability, the F-35 has a much better Electronic Warfare suite than the F-22. With an excellent AESA radar, EODAS and EOTS thermal imaging, and MADL data link, the F-35 will have a much better view of the air battle and Great Tactical Advantage.
The F-35, with its air-to-ground combat design, is not designed for breakaway speed. It has a top speed of 1.60 Mach, and less maneuverability than the F-22 in dogfight scenarios. The F-22 can ramp it up all the way to 2.25 Mach. It climbs at a rate of 62,000 feet per minute whereas the F-35 climbs at 45,000 feet per minute. However, despite the mismatch in speed, the F-35s can still hold their own against non-stealthy fighters.
