The F-22 Raptor Facts: 30 Things to Know

Other Countries Have Developed Their Own Versions of the F-22

After word of the F-22s superior capabilities as a fighter jet began spreading around the world, other countries began developing their own answer to combat this possible threat. Both China and Russia made their own versions of the Raptor.

Chengdu Aerospace Corporation for the Air Force in China built a stealth, fifth-generation fighter jet called the Chengdu J-20. Its first flight was in 2011 but it’s not suspected to go operational until closer to 2020. The look of the aircraft resembles the F-22 with a wide fuselage, chiseled nose, and frameless canopy. The US government noted that the US should pay attention to the J-20.

The Sukhoi Su-57 is the designation for a stealth, single-seat, twin-engine multirole fifth-generation jet fighter being developed for air superiority and attack operations

The Russian answer to the F-22 is the Sukhoi PAK FA and it is Russia’s first aircraft to integrate stealth technology. It is said to be engineered to have super-maneuverability, supercruise, and sensor fusion. Much like the US, Russia has encountered issues with the high cost of developing this high tech plane and has delayed and depleted the amount of jets to be built in the program.