F-35 Vs F-22: Comparing & Contrasting The Iconic Lockheed Martin Fighter Jets (2024)

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II has long been seen as the future of air power for three different branches of the United States Armed Forces. With three different variants that uniquely serve the United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, the jet has truly become the ultimate versatile fighting machine.

However, when it comes to single-aircraft combat, or dogfighting as it is more commonly known, there is one aircraft that has a leg up on the ultra-modern jet. The F-22 Raptor stands as among the deadliest aircraft ever to enter the skies, and it is an all-weather, stealth-capable fighter built in collaboration between Lockheed Martin and American aerospace giant Boeing.

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Comparing America's two newest and deadliest fighter jets can be challenging, and trying to determine which one has the edge over the other in any specific category can also be difficult. In this article, we will take a deeper look at the extensive similarities and differences between the F-35 Lightning II and the F-22 Raptor.

Operational capabilities

In terms of performance, both the F-35 and the F-22 offer the United States Air Force impressive speed, range, and endurance, although in some categories, one does stand out over the other. One of the key factors that is critical to fighter performance is speed, and here the F-22, which was designed specifically for air superiority, is a clear winner. Speed specifics for the F-22 are detailed in the table below:

Due to its impressive top speeds, there are extremely few combat aircraft in the skies today that are able to outrun the F-22, making it an incredibly capable interceptor. Despite being incredibly powerful, the F-35 Lightning II is unable to match the Raptor's speeds, topping out at a maximum speed of Mach 1.6, with a maximum sea level speed of just over Mach 1.

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According to the EurAsian Times, the F-22 is also able to beat out its rival in terms of climb rate, able to ascend at over 62,000 feet per minute. The F-35, by contrast, is only able to climb at around 45,000 feet per minute. In order to contextualize both of these figures, a typical Boeing 787 will exhibit a climb rate of between 2,000 and 3,000 directly after takeoff.

Inevitably, the F-22 was designed to be the deadliest dogfighter ever made, able to go toe-to-toe with the most advanced modern stealth fighters that an enemy might have to offer. Despite performing more weakly in terms of speed and climb, the F-35 is equipped with impressive stealth technology, allowing it to be an incredibly effective weapon against conventional non-stealth fighters.

Examining the armament

In terms of armament, the F-35 is far more versatile than its faster counterpart, and can perform almost any kind of mission. While the F-22 may excel in one-on-one air-to-air combat, the F-35's superior versatility will allow it to serve more purposes, including nuclear deterrence and aerial strike missions.

According to the National Interest, there are three key kinds of missions that the F-22 is incapable of performing, which the F-35 is well-suited for, namely:

• Nuclear strike capabilities.
• Anti-ship operations.
• Air-to-ground strike initiatives.

While the F-22 Raptor may not be optimized for ground strikes, that is not to say that it is not equipped with an impressive variety of weapons. The Raptor can carry six LAU-142/A launchers for beyond-line-of-sight air-to-air missiles, with an additional two weapon bays, each equipped with an LAU-141/A launcher for Sidewinders of other air-to-air missiles.

In the event that a Raptor is to be used for ground strike operations, the plane can also be loaded with precision-guided bombs. Despite being so formidable, the F-22 has actually never shot down an enemy aircraft in combat.

The F-35 is capable of carrying a far broader range of weapons and can have them loaded on external hardpoints or in internal bays. Common surface strike weapons can include Paveway laser-guided bombs and land-attack missiles like the SPEAR-3.

The plane is also capable of operating with the JASSM cruise missile, as well as an array of anti-ship weapons. This is in no way an exhaustive list of F-35 armaments, and the aircraft is also able to carry and deliver the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb, a weapon that can also be deployed by the F-15 and the F-16, according to Popular Mechanics.

The bottom line

Across the board, the combination of the F-22 and the F-35 ensures that the United States Air Force is in good hands when handling any threat that an enemy may pose. Deciding exactly which aircraft to deploy in a given situation, however, will ultimately come down to exactly what the task will require.

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The Raptor is undeniably the best dogfighter in the Air Force's arsenal today and is unmatched in terms of air-to-air combat capabilities. In the event that conflict was to break out with an enemy in possession of a capable stealth fighter, like China's Chengdu J-20, the F-22 would likely be the ideal aircraft to counter any aggression.

However, most modern combat has not involved such aircraft, and across the board, it has involved relatively limited dogfighting. As a result, the F-35, with its impressive data connectivity and advanced coordinative technology, alongside its extensive versatility, has made it the aircraft of choice for all kinds of missions. But at the end of the day, if it's just one plane against another, the F-22 is tough to beat.