Summary and Key Points: The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, despite being a generation newer than fighters like the F-15 and F-16, is set to be retired early due to its prohibitive costs. With fewer than 200 units built, the F-22 will be phased out before it could fully realize its potential.

-The advanced technologies and extensive research and development required for the F-22 made it the most expensive fighter jet per unit ever built, costing around $350 million each.

-While still a relevant and advanced air superiority fighter, the high costs and the emergence of more modern and cost-effective options led to the decision to retire the F-22.

The F-22 Raptor Heads for Retirement: Here's Why

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is headed for the scrapyard. This despite the F-22 being a generation newer than Cold War-era fighters like the F-15 and F-16. With fewer than 200 units built, the F-22 will be retired before ever becoming a lynchpin system for the U.S. Air Force – and in the view of many, before ever reaching the airframe’s ultimate potential.

So, why is the F-22 being retired so early? The main reason: cost. The F-22 is the most expensive per-unit fighter jet ever built – more expensive even than the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. 

The F-22 is still relevant as far as performance goes – it is still an advanced, modern air superiority fighter. But the F-22’s cost is prohibitive, and as some of the airframe’s systems become outdated, the Air Force has been forced to look for cheaper and more modern options.

Why So Expensive?

The F-22 is loaded with technologies that were never used before the Raptor came along. The F-22 stretched the known possibilities of aircraft design, and thus required intensive research and development. This, of course, was very expensive.

According to Patrick Bindner, a pilot and engineer, the F-22 “was a foray into the future where no one had gone before.” 

Despite becoming relatively commonplace today, the F-22 introduced gear that was basically Star-Wars-like relative to the equipment in use with the Air Force at the time. When building the F-22, Lockheed Martin had to learn as they went, which is an expensive way of building, requiring plenty of trial and error. But the designers were not limited by cost.

“It looks like an airplane, but it was the very first full-on stealth fighter & it was an outrageous price for the time,” Bindner wrote.   

The F-22’s designers were so successful in creating an advanced fighter that even today, a generation later, the Raptor is still unrivaled in its combat niche.

Stealth Is Expensive

The F-22 was not the Air Force’s first stealth aircraft – that distinction belongs to the F-117 Nighthawk. However, despite the F-117’s “F” designation (a misnomer applied to attract pilots from the fighter community), the F-22 is the world’s first operational stealth fighter. 

Extensive research and development were required to lower the F-22’s radar cross section while still maintaining the agility necessary to perform as a modern fighter. Key considerations included the alignment of the jet’s edges, the continuous curvature of surfaces, an internal weapons bay, fixed-geometry serpentine inlets, curved vanes designed to prevent engine face and turbine line-of-sight, and the use of radar-absorbent materials on the jet’s exterior. The designers thought about everything. But incorporating everything was expensive.

The cost might have been justified if the Air Force had followed through with initial plans to procure about 750 F-22s. But when the procurement rate was cut to just 200 Raptors, the jet’s price per unit skyrocketed. According to the Government Accountability Office, the F-22 program cost more than $67 billion, and because fewer than 200 jets were produced, the F-22’s cost comes out to about $350 million per aircraft. 

To put the F-22’s cost per unit in perspective, consider that an F-15EX, Boeing’s newest fighter, costs about $90-97 million, depending on the data used.

About the Author: Harrison Kass 

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

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