Key Points – The U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor is receiving significant upgrades to maintain its air dominance, with new photos revealing the integration of stealthy low-drag external fuel tanks and pylons, as well as underwing InfraRed Search and Track (IRST) pods.
-These enhancements, first funded in the FY23 budget, aim to extend the Raptor’s range and improve its passive targeting capabilities without significantly compromising its stealth profile.
-The F-22 is also slated to receive the new, long-range AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) to outclass Chinese and Russian counterparts, ensuring the nearly 20-year-old fighter remains a formidable air superiority beast.
F-22 Raptor Has 1 Mission: Dominate Everything in the Sky
Just when you think that the F-35 has become the best fighter in the world, another American jet is saying, “me too.”
I’m referring to the F-22 Raptor, which is still one of the stealthiest airplanes that has ever been produced.
Now the F-22 has received a boost that could make it more difficult for radar to track. The airplane possibly has new low-drag tanks, pylons, and IRST pods.
These changes were first announced in 2022 and have finally come to fruition. The Aviationist web magazine spotted the new additions in a photo released on the social media site X.
The airplane appeared to fly near the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. This image showed the Raptor with two external fuel tanks.
There is now an InfraRed Search and Track (IRST) system with two additional IRST pods.
High Speed, Low Drag
The external tanks are technically called Low Drag Tank and Pylon (LDTP) exterior features. They help with aerodynamics since they create reduced drag.
The Air Force had requested funding to make these changes to the F-22 in its FY23 budget request, and the service branch has finally proposed a reality.
Long-range Flight in a High Threat Environment
The F-22 should have longer range now. This is an important attempt at improving its combat qualities in a time when war is raging in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe. China is always spoiling for a fight against Taiwan, so the Air Force is prepping its fighter fleet for a more fraught geopolitical environment.
The LDTP pylons are stealthier than the previous 600-pound external fuel drop tanks. “The pylons are equipped with smart rack pneumatic technology to accurately control ejection performance and smooth wind-swept surface for minimum drag without store,” the Aviationist wrote.
No Substitute for Stealth
These additions were tested last year and will improve the F-22’s impressive radar-evading ability. The Raptor may even receive a new air-to-air missile if artwork documents unearthed by an Air Force general can be believed.
These papers were unveiled in the FY25 budget proposal that described the new additions to the F-22.
The Raptor’s improvements were also spotted on a warbird flying at the Air Force’s Plant 42 facility in Palmdale, California, in 2022. But the latest photo showed more details with the IRST pods and stealth pylons.
As a result, the Raptor will have better target acquisition and tracking abilities. This is highly important in dogfighting. The F-22 is an air superiority beast and with the new capabilities, the airplane should have an edge on fighters flown by Russia and China, not to mention anything the North Koreans and Iranians send to the air.
New Missile to Outclass China and Other Enemies
The Raptor’s new munition could be the highly secretive AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile. This is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air projectile. It can travel at MACH 5 with inertial guidance and active radar homing. This will replace the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Joint Advanced Tactical Missile will also outclass the Chinese PL-15 missile. The new American missile should be ready next year.
Wait, There Are More Upgrades on the Way
“Other upgrades mentioned in the budget request are a Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe [IFF], Link 16 and Multifunction Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System [MIDS JTRS], a new Operational Fight Program, advanced radar Electronic Protection, Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System (INS) Modernization (EGI-M), Open System Architecture (OSA), new encrypted radios,” the latest budget request said.
It is not clear how much those new features will cost or how long they will take, but this will make pilots and crew members who work on the F-22 smile. The Air Force has big plans for the Raptor, and the upgrades are sure to make U.S. adversaries pause and wonder if they can challenge the F-22 in combat.
This is a time when stealth flight is all-important. The Israelis are using the radar-evading F-35I Adir to good effect in the skies over Iran. While the F-22 is not a ground strike aircraft, it would likely be used in a Day Two conflict after F-35s destroy enemy air defenses. The F-22 can screen the air for any threats and destroy aircraft that try to intercept it.
These additions to the F-22 are thus highly significant. The airplane will maintain its stealthiness and will be able to improve its air superiority abilities. Israel will be a good test case for seeing how well radar-evading aspects affect aerial fights.
So far, the Israelis have enjoyed success with stealth and non-stealth fighters, and the Americans will be studying how Israeli fighters respond to Iranian air defenses and drones. This information can help the F-22 even more.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
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