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F-22A Raptor
Aircraft role	Fighter Stealth Fighter
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Boeing IDS
Real-world origin	United States of America
AC installments	Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion Ace Combat: Joint Assault Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy
Primary operator	Osea (OADF) USAF
Secondary operators	Aurelia (AAF) Belka (BAF) Erusea (FEAF) Emmeria (REAF) Estovakia (EAF) Leasath (LAF) FCU (ISAF) Ustio (UAF) "A World With No Boundaries" Valahia Martinez Security 108th Task Force
Plane variant(s)	YF-22 Lightning II(Prototype) FB-22(Bomber Concept) F-22C Raptor II(Fictional Modernization) F-22A -GRYPHUS EMBLEM-(AC6 DLC) F-22A -MOBIUS-(AC6 DLC) F-22A -THE IDOLMASTER Haruka-(AC6 DLC)
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The F-22 Raptor is one of the best fighters in the Ace Combat series, stat-wise. It is the main aircraft on the cover for most of the series (such as 04, X, Joint Assault and Assault Horizon). F-22 variants (such as the F-22C Raptor II or the FB-22 Concept) have been featured in all Ace Combat games with the exception of Air Combat Arcade, Ace Combat Advance and Ace Combat: Northern Wings. It is a stealth fighter aircraft that was intentionally built to replace the F-15C Eagle. The F-22's exceptional maneuverability combined with stealth is part of the reason for its reputation and the fact that a lot of information for exampel thr top speed makes it the best fighter aircraft in the world. The F-22 is the flagship plane for almost every Ace Combat game so far, and the F-22A is also the main aircraft of several aces in the Ace Combat series.

DescriptionEdit

The F-22 was first flown as the YF-22 in September 29, 1990 as part of the ATF program along with the YF-23A Black Widow II. After a hard-fought fly off, the F-22 was declared the winner in August 1991. The Main production version of the F-22 Raptor (also known as the Lightning II, Rapier and SuperStar until April 9, 1997) first flew on September 7, 1997. This version entered service in December of 2005. It's primary role is as an Air Superiority fighter, similar in effect to the F-15C Eagle that it was slated to replace. At one point it was to have a carrier based variant similar to the swept-wing F-14 Tomcat for the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford as seen in some pictures and articles. The F-22A was also known as the F/A-22 for a short time due to the fact that the Raptor has a secondary ground-attack role. However, the name changed back to F-22A on September 12, 2005. One of the best traits of the F-22A Raptor is its advanced AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar, which can detect enemy aircraft and missile launches as well as jam incoming hostile missiles, with it´s 2300 transmitters it is stronger than any other radar. Its standard supercruise speed is Mach 1.5, or around 1225 miles per hour, but it has been able to reach a top cruising speed of Mach 1.8. Its true top speed is still classified. It also has superb agility due to its high thrust-to-weight ratio, high angle of attack, low wing loading, advanced "fly-by-wire" control (the system enabling control over light combat aircraft), and thrust vectoring nozzles like F-15S/MTD. The missiles on the the aircraft are stored in internal weapon bays: two under the wing root that can store two AIM-9X Sidewinder missles each and one under the fuselage that can store six AIM-120C/D AMRAAMs or a variety of air to ground munitions, such as members of the JDAM family, like the GBU-38 500 lb JDAM, or the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb.

Armament and Aces/SquadronsEdit

StatsEdit

GalleryEdit

Two Raptors engaged in combat over Gracemeria, the aircraft in the foreground having its ventral weapons bay open about to fire one of it's six AIM-120C AMRAAM missiles.

F-22 Raptors in the colors of the Razgriz Air Command Squadron.

Gryphus One.

The IDOLM@ASTER form of the F-22, found in Ace Combat 6.

A pair of F-22As from the 207th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

Gryphus One.

Two F-22As from the Mobius Squadron

Gryphus One

Mobius One

An F-22 after destroying a Su-33 Flanker-D.

An F-22 and a Su-33 passing each other.

An Aurelian Air Force F-22.

F-22A Raptor.

Warwolf F-22s before take off.

F-22A in Ace Combat: Assault Horizion with the monochrome version of iDOLM@STER's Haruka Amami.

F-22A in Ace Combat: Assault Horizion with the iDOLM@STER character Haruka Amami.

An F-22 dodging debris from an enemy aircraft.

'Haruka Amami' F-22 Fly by Dubai.

F-22A "Flash"

F-22A "Warwolf"

Mobius One's F22

Add a photo to this galleryAdd a photo to this gallery

TriviaEdit

• Though the top speed of the F-22A Raptor is still classified, it has become as common knowledge that the Raptor can reach speeds topping Mach 3 as F-22A pilots have proudly borne their Mach 3 patches in public. Speculation is that speeds this great at lower altitudes degrade the stealth ability of the Raptor through detrimental effects to the radar absorbing material on the exterior of the aircraft, as flying at high speeds causes huge strain and heat on the surface of the aircraft and would burn the material, and render it's stealth useless. Therefore, the Raptor can only sustain that speed for only a short period of time. In order to sustain Mach 3 speed for long periods of time, an aircraft has to be made out of titanium as used on the SR-71 Blackbird, which is too heavy for an aircraft the size of an F-22. The only other fighters in service that can reach speeds of Mach 3 is the MiG-25 Foxbat, and the MiG-31 Foxhound. The speed the F-22 can sustain for longer periods with afterburner is actually greater than Mach 2.42 ( 1600-1660 mph).
• The United States Air Force plans to have 187 Raptors in their inventory by 2012. No other real world Air Force fly the Raptor.
• The F-22, EF-2000, and F-16 variants share the highest record of eleven appearences in Ace Combat games.
• The fifth color for the F-22 in Ace Combat: Joint Assault is the same as the last two Orgoi aircraft seen in the same game. It was likely that the Golden Axe Plan Private Army intended to field the F-22A for use as a carrier fighter onboard the Orgoi, but for some reason cancelled the plan.
• The image with the caption: 'An F-22 dodging debris from an enemy aricraft' shows a tailsign of TY rather than FF. TY is representative of Tyndall Air Force Base, which was home to the first operational F-22 fighter squadron, the 43d Fighter Squadron, tasked with training pilots on flying the F-22. FF indicates the 1st Fighter Wing, the Fighting First, from which the tall number is derived, the first operational wing of F-22s consisting of 40 frontline F-22s.
• While the PAK-FA is on Assault Horizon the best Multirole aircraft, the F-22 is the best in the category fighter
• In Assault Horizon the PAK FAs speed stat is slightly higher than the F-22s, but in actual gameplay the F-22 reaches 2855 km/h and the PAK-FA 2831 km/h