![F-22 Raptor - the only hope to help America maintain air superiority 3 F-22 Raptor - the only hope to help America maintain air superiority 0](https://nucuoixinh.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/nucuoixinh.com-f-22-raptor-the-only-hope-to-help-america-maintain-air-superiority-1.jpg)
F-22 Raptor - the only hope to help America maintain air superiority 0
F-22 fighter flying demonstration.
Fierce competition from countries like China and Russia in recent years has threatened to erode the advantage of mastery of the skies that the United States has maintained since World War II.
Military analyst Alex Lockie said that the US has the largest air force in the world with more than 5,000 aircraft, but it must be spread out globally.
`I think this is a crisis. Air superiority is not a birthright, it’s really something we have to work to maintain,` said Gen. David Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff.
Lockie assessed the US F-22 as the only fighter that can effectively deal with these threats to maintain US air superiority.
The F-22 is the first 5th generation fighter, different from any other fighter in the world.
In a video posted on October 4, an F-22 fighter performed a series of extremely difficult maneuvers in the air such as flying vertically and turning its head downward in a short time.
![F-22 Raptor - the only hope to help America maintain air superiority 4 F-22 Raptor - the only hope to help America maintain air superiority](https://nucuoixinh.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/nucuoixinh.com-f-22-raptor-the-only-hope-to-help-america-maintain-air-superiority-2.jpg)
American F-22 fighter demonstrates maneuverability
In air combat, parameters such as maximum speed are not everything.
In theory, the aircraft is equipped with a state-of-the-art infrared target search and tracking system (IRST) that can detect and track the F-22 stealth fighter at quite a distance.
The F-22’s radar reflection cross-section is said to be only the size of a marble.
In addition, to attack targets protected by advanced air defense missile systems, F-22 pilots are also trained to handle situations more intelligently.
![F-22 Raptor - the only hope to help America maintain air superiority 5 F-22 Raptor - the only hope to help America maintain air superiority](https://nucuoixinh.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/nucuoixinh.com-f-22-raptor-the-only-hope-to-help-america-maintain-air-superiority-3.jpg)
F-22 Raptor – the only hope to help America maintain air superiority
F-22 fighter refuels in the air
The F-22 stealth fighter maintains overwhelming superiority from afar thanks to its ability to attack enemy targets before being detected.
`Even when facing the most challenging hypothetical threats such as the Su-35, S-300V4 and S-400 air defense systems, the F-22 is still very difficult to shoot down,` said an F-22 pilot.
With the defense budget expected to increase under Donald Trump, the US can reverse the decline of the air superiority mission by building more F-22 Raptor fighters, Dr.
See more: US F-22 fighter in Syria had its stealth paint peeled off