The ATF program began in 1981 and the USAF ultimately envisioned some 750 ATF aircraft to fill its next-generation stable. However, technological progression the world over would eventually catch up to the fabled F-15 lineage and its large interceptor concept so, thusly, a new thoroughbred was on order. By the time of the ATF program, the F-15 was really only just beginning to gain a foothold in the USAF inventory. The airframe was eventually adapted into a dual-role air-superiority / ground strike version in the F-15E "Strike Eagle" offering and was even more recently converted to a "semi-stealth" end-product through the proposed F-15SE "Silent Eagle" initiative. She was as a large fighter platform meant for true air superiority over Soviet-sponsored fighters of the time, offering a potent payload along with excellent top-flight speed and proved an outright success within time - one of the classic American fighters of all time. The F-15 Eagle itself was born in the thick of the Cold War years and was accepted into service in 1976. Origins of the F-22 lay in the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) initiative put forth by the USAF in an effort to shore up an aging frontline of Cold War-era fighter platforms - particularly the venerable F-15 Eagle series. Both Russia and China are currently development 5th Generation Fighters all their own - challenging the F-22's claim to the next-gen skies. As the world's only operational "Fifth Generation" fighter platform, the F-22s only true "enemy" at this time appears to be the growing pains involved with her complex and highly technical internal systems. The F-22 was added to the USAF inventory to replace the aging McDonnell Douglas / Boeing F-15 Eagle series of air superiority / multi-role fighters in an effort to meet the then-current and any proposed future threats as part of the Global Strike Task Force.Ĭoupled with the upcoming Lockheed F-35 Lightning II multirole aircraft, the USAF will field a potent "one-two" punch for generations to come. She is the newest fighter design in the Air Force stable and the most cutting-edge fighter mount currently in existence. The Lockheed F-22 "Raptor" represents a culmination of decades-worth of data collection, testing and evaluation for the United States Air Force (USAF).
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