The F-22 is poised to remain the world’s premier air superiority fighter for decades to come.
Designed for air superiority, stealth, and possessing advanced sensor fusion, the United States Air Force’s fifth-generation F-22 Raptor, designed by Lockheed Martin, represents the pinnacle of airpower in the world today. The F-22 combines supercruise capabilities, thrust-vectoring engines, and low-observable materials to outmaneuver and outfight adversaries.
As global threats evolve—particularly with the rise of peer competitors, such as China and Russia’s development of advanced anti-access/area-denial systems—the US Air Force continues modernizing the F-22.
The Air Force is updating its aging F-22 fleet, even as the Trump administration has authorized the ghastly sixth-generation warplane, the F-47.
But because the F-47 is experiencing massive delays, the Air Force needs to ensure that the F-22s remain viable into the late 2030s or beyond.
Thus, the F-22 is receiving a comprehensive suite of upgrades that will extend its service life to the 2040s!
What’s Being Done to the F-22?
These enhancements are backed by billions of tax dollars—including a $7.8 billion investment plan through 2030—and are aimed at improving the F-22’s sensors, upgrading its software, enhancing its communications, expanding its electronic warfare suite, ensuring greater weapons integration, and performing other sustainment improvements.
One of the most critical areas of modernization for the F-22 is its sensor suite, which is being upgraded to detect and track emerging threats at greater ranges while maintaining stealth.
The centerpiece is the Infrared Defensive System (IRDS), a distributed set of embedded tactical infrared search and track sensors that replace the legacy missile launch detectors. This system improves detection of long-range air-to-air missiles and surface-to-air missiles, enhancing the aircraft’s survivability in high-threat scenarios.
Lockheed Martin secured a $270 million contract at the start of this year to integrate these next-generation infrared sensors, which also support threat tracking and countermeasures across multiple platforms.
Complementing this, RTX (via Raytheon) was awarded a $1 billion contract in August 2024 to upgrade sensors, including “Group B hardware” that may incorporate stealthy pods for Infrared Search and Track (IRST) capabilities. These podded IRST sensors, with initial production of 30 units (15 per lot) slated for delivery by the second quarter of fiscal year 2028, will equip 142 Block 30/35 F-22s, enabling “first look, first shot, first kill” advantages in air superiority missions.
Additionally, dynamic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) upgrades provide high-resolution ground mapping, allowing pilots to identify and geolocate threats with unprecedented precision. Test flights for these sensor enhancements were completed by March of this year, marking a key milestone in integrating Modular Open Systems Approach technologies to facilitate faster future updates. These sensor upgrades, part of the FY2026 budget’s $90.3 million allocation, are essential for preserving the F-22’s stealth edge against advanced radar and infrared-guided systems.
The Flying Computer Chip
Both the F-22 and the F-35 Lightning II, America’s other fifth-generation warplane, have been described as “flying computer chips.” As such, software forms the backbone of the F-22’s capabilities. The Air Force is engaged in a drastic software upgrade for these birds.
Increment 3.2B, the most recent software upgrade for the bird that was completed for combat-coded aircraft, introduces high-resolution ground mapping SAR, threat geolocation, electronic attack (EA) capabilities, and integration with advanced munitions like the small diameter bomb I, AIM-120D, and AIM-9X.
In terms of weapons, sustainment efforts under the Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability Program include electrical power improvements, avionic fiber optic replacements, durable low-observable materials, and structural fixes. Stealthy low-drag drop tanks and pylons will extend range while allowing supersonic flight with external fuel, enhancing persistence without sacrificing lethality.
This agile development strategy allows for rapid testing and fielding of improvements, borrowing technologies from the sixth-generation boondoggle to keep the Raptor ahead of the curve.
Up next, a fleet-wide control software update is scheduled to initiate this year, unlocking additional thrust in specific flight envelopes and enhancing overall mission capacity. Pratt & Whitney, leveraging data from fifth-generation platforms, is also employing predictive maintenance algorithms to extend engine part life and reduce costs, ensuring more uptime for operations.
Cybersecurity enhancements and pilot vehicle interface improvements further streamline pilot interactions, while upgrades to the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile’s guidance software increase processing power and extend flight time, bolstering air dominance.
These software-focused efforts underscore the US Air Force’s commitment to evolving the F-22 through digital means, with work centered at facilities like Hill Air Force Base.
To integrate seamlessly into multi-domain operations, the F-22 is receiving communications upgrades that bridge gaps with legacy and future systems. The addition of the Link 16 capability via the Multifunctional Information Distribution System/Joint Tactical Radio System enables two-way networking with fourth-generation warplanes, with fleetwide implementation underway. Broader avionics and communications suite enhancements improve reliability and data sharing, crucial for joint operations.
The Best Part: Collaborative Combat Aircraft
Starting next year, all 142 combat-capable F-22s will be equipped with hardware kits—including tablets, cabling, and support equipment—to allow for the integration of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), or the “loyal wingman” drones. This, more than any of the upgrades mentioned thus far, will be the most important improvement for the mighty F-22.
Costing about $86,218 per unit, under a $15 million Crewed Platform Integration program, pilots will be linked to the autonomous drones via the F-22’s Inter-Flight Data Link, with software updates facilitating certification and integration.
The F-22 will be the first fighter to command drone swarms, ensuring it remains the most advanced and important warplane in America’s arsenal.
Enhancements to the electronic warfare (EW) suite, including counter-EW capabilities, address emerging threats, while the aforementioned Increment 3.2B upgrade adds EA functionality for jamming disruption. Low-observable signature management, potentially mirror-like coatings, refines stealth characteristics to evade advanced detection.
Countermeasures are also being bolstered, alongside Identification Friend or Foe enhancements for safer operations in crowded battlespaces. Future cryptographic upgrades will secure communications against cyber threats. Pilot-centric upgrades, such as the Thales Scorpion Helmet Mounted Display and Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet, improve situational awareness in dynamic combat conditions.
America Doesn’t Need the F-47
These enhancements not only counter near-peer threats but also pave the seamless integration with future systems like the CCAs. With contracts in motion and tests underway, the F-22 is poised to remain the world’s premier air superiority fighter for decades to come.
It almost makes one wonder why the Pentagon would seriously commit to the F-47 (or any other sixth-generation program) when the F-22 is clearly so reliable.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: DVIDS.
