F-22A 'Raptor' is the Air Force's newest fighter aircraft. It has the most powerful engines of any fighter (70,000 lb thrust) and is capable of accelerating vertically. The F-22A cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft. It may also be the last (along with the F-35) piloted fighter. The 'Raptor' is roughly the size of the F-15 and also has about the same top speed, but what makes it the supreme fighter aircraft in the world are three things; 1) Supercruise: It can cruise at speeds of Mach 1.5+ without using afterburners. Afterburners on a fighter jet are what passing gear and a four-barrel carburetor were to 1960s American cars. You could watch the gas gage go toward 'empty' real fast. 2) Stealth: Advances in low-observable technologies provide significantly improved survivabilty and lethality. 3) Vectored thrust: The exhaust nozzles are movable and enable the aircraft to perform maneuvers that are impossible for other aircraft. For example after climbing in afterburner at this angle to a certain height it came to a stop, hung in the air at the same attitude for a few seconds, and then slowly lost altitude, still at the same angle - similar to an acrobatic aircraft. On another occasion it climbet to a certain height, practically stopped for a few seconds at a level attitude, and then slowly spiralled down, similar to a dried leave falling off a tree in fall. And the engines are noisy in afterburner and powerful. One can feel the thrust. The F-22A can carry a variety of ordnance, all internally. This picture was taken on 20 March 2009 at Luke AFB during a demonstration. Thank you for viewing and commenting and possible favs, Sig...