Summary and key points: The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor remains the world’s most expensive fighter aircraft, with a unit price of around $350 million. This price is largely due to its groundbreaking design, which introduced many advanced technologies, including stealth capabilities, sophisticated avionics, and thrust vectoring.
-Extensive research and development was required to make the F-22 the world’s first operational fifth-generation fighter, using cutting-edge materials and features to ensure stealth and performance. In addition, manufacturing difficulties and a significant reduction in production numbers drove up costs.
– Despite its price, the F-22 remains unmatched in its functionality and embodies the pinnacle of air combat technology.
Breaking down the $350 million cost of the F-22 Raptor
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor was the world’s first operational fifth-generation fighter jet. And even today, the F-22 is relatively futuristic. When the F-22 made its first flight in the 1990s, the aircraft was a game-changer – and, not surprisingly, the most expensive fighter jet per unit ever built.
Although the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program eventually surpassed the F-22 program in total cost, the F-22 is still the most expensive fighter jet per unit. So how did the F-22 come to be so uniquely expensive?
When the F-22 was designed and built, many of the concepts it contained had never been tried before. The F-22 actively pushed the boundaries of what was possible in aircraft design. Pushing the boundaries means research and development. Research and development is expensive.
The F-22 “represented a foray into the future that no one had ever attempted before,” wrote pilot, engineer, and Quora contributor Patrick Bindner. “Although it’s almost commonplace today, it was nothing short of Star Wars hardware compared to the existing equipment at both LM and the USAF, who were learning how to use it along the way. It was a piece of extreme exoticism where cost was no object and materials were used. It looks like an airplane, but it was the very first full-fledged stealth fighter and was ridiculously expensive for the time.”
As Bindner emphasized in 2019, the F-22 was way ahead of its time. “22 years later, not only does it still fully meet its design goals, it is still unmatched in its combat niche.”
Basically, being first is expensive. And the F-22 was first in many ways.
F-22 stealth technology
Although the F-22 was not the Air Force’s first stealth aircraft, it was its first stealth fighter. (Note: The F-117, while designed as a fighter, was actually an attack aircraft designed as a fighter to attract fighter pilots.)
Extensive research and development was conducted to reduce the F-22’s radar cross-section – while retaining features that would make the jet a state-of-the-art jet. A number of stealth features were incorporated into the new jet: the alignment of the jet’s edges, the continuous curvature of the surfaces, an internal weapons bay, serpentine inlets with fixed geometry, curved vanes designed to prevent the line of sight between the engine front and the turbine, and the use of radar-absorbing materials on the outside of the jet. Everything was taken into account. Even the pilot’s helmet was refined and adapted to prevent radar bounce.
However, the work and materials that went into the F-22’s stealth design also drove up the price.
“To achieve its stealth capabilities, the F-22 Raptor uses advanced composite materials such as carbon fiber composites that are lightweight yet strong,” wrote Laura Clery. “These materials help reduce the aircraft’s weight, improve its maneuverability, and increase its overall performance. However, these specialized materials are expensive and require careful manufacturing processes, contributing to the high cost per aircraft. In addition, the complex integration of various components and systems, including advanced sensors and weapons, further drives up production costs.”
In addition, the F-22 was designed to limit radio frequency emissions, infrared signatures, acoustic signatures, and naked eye visibility. The F-22’s thrust vectoring nozzles even reduced the infrared emissions of the jet’s exhaust plume to reduce the likelihood of infrared homing missiles or heat-seeking missiles hitting the F-22.
The F-22 was the third stealth aircraft developed by the United States (after the F-117 and the B-2). And the lessons learned from developing the F-117 and the B-2 were transferred to the F-22. For example, the F-22 is less dependent on radar-absorbing material than the F-117. And unlike the sensitive B-2, the F-22 does not need to be stored in climate-controlled hangars; instead, the F-22 can be repaired on the flight line or in a regular hangar.
Unforeseen complications
The development of the F-22 was marked by various setbacks that drove up the price. And when production of the F-22 was reduced from a planned 750 aircraft to about two hundred, the cost per aircraft skyrocketed.
During the development of the F-22, Lockheed Martin encountered “manufacturing and quality control issues,” wrote Laura Clery. “The complexity of the aircraft, with its advanced stealth capabilities and cutting-edge technology, posed significant challenges to the manufacturing process. These challenges led to delays and increased costs as engineers and technicians had to correct design flaws and ensure compliance with strict quality standards. The rigorous testing and inspection processes increased overall costs and further drove up the cost per aircraft.”
As the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) reported, the entire F-22 program cost more than $67 billion – so the cost per aircraft is around $350 million. To put the $350 million of the F-22 into perspective, you have to consider that a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon costs around $63 million.
In fact, the F-22 is an expensive aircraft.
About the author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer who has written over 1,000 articles on world affairs. Harrison is a lawyer, pilot, guitarist, and part-time professional hockey player. He joined the U.S. Air Force as a student pilot but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
All images are Creative Commons.
