The F-22 Raptor Facts: 30 Things to Know

F-22 Was Built for Air to Air but Capable of Air to Ground Combat

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor shows weapons bay during the 2016 Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., March 6, 2016. The Raptor performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions allowing full realization of operational concepts vital to the 21st century Air Force.

The F-22 is a replacement for the F-15 Eagle and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. As such, it has capability for both air to air combat and air to ground combat. Although most would say its specialty is in air to air superiority. Ironically, its first use in combat was an air to ground mission in 2014 in Syria where it took out an ISIS related target in precise and scrupulous fashion. The F-22 carries a very wide array of air to air missiles within its weapons bay but is more restricted when carrying air to ground missiles. So, while the F-22 can do both, the US Air Force felt there should be another cheaper, more multipurpose aircraft to perform routine missions and air to ground combat. The F-35 Lightning II was then put into production to save the F-22 for the advanced air to air conflict it was built to dominate.