The F-22 Raptor Facts: 30 Things to Know

Sixth Generation Fighter May Come Next

With an approximated cost of $140 million each, how long should a single F-22 be able to last? Well, according to Lockheed Martin, the F-22 will last up to and potentially beyond 40 years. The Government Accountability Office estimates that fixing and flying the F-22s throughout their lifespan will cost just shy of $60 billion dollars. The F-22 conceived in the 1980s, so the objectives required for a state of the art air defense vehicle in todays’s military environment are now somewhat disconnected from the Raptor. Which is where the idea for the sixth generation fighter came into play. The sixth generation fighter will have a longer lifespan and be more adept to today’s military challenges. However, if anything is learned from the development of the F-22, its that the longer it takes to develop the more likely it is that the military landscape will change by the time it becomes operational. These F-22 facts are compiled by Military Machine.