The F-22 Raptor Facts: 30 Things to Know

Japan Wanted to Purchase F-22s

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, takes off at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Feb. 13, 2017. The F-22 Raptors stopped at Yokota AB before traveling on to Royal Australian Air Force Base, Tindal. As the Air Force’s Western Pacific airlift hub, Yokota supports transient aircraft as they conduct mission throughout the Indo-Asia Pacific Region.

Due to China’s increasingly advanced air and naval weaponry, Japan has found itself in need of upgrading its own military arsenal. One of those needs is an answer to China’s Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter jet. Japan has started to gear up for production to replace their Mitsubishi F-2 with a new F-3, but what the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force would rather do is to purchase Lockheed’s F-22 Raptors. Unfortunately, the F-22 cannot be sold to anyone outside of the United States, so it looks like they’ll have to develop a new fighter. They may also consider purchasing the F-35s as they are available for purchase to US Allies and while slightly less capable, they get a wider variety of mission types done at a slightly lower cost.