F-22A Raptor

The F-22 Raptor is one of the best fighters in the Ace Combat series, stat-wise. It is the main aircraft on the cover for most of the series (such as 04, X, Joint Assault and Assault Horizon). F-22 variants (such as the F-22C Raptor II or the FB-22 Concept) have been featured in all Ace Combat games with the exception of Air Combat Arcade, Ace Combat Advance and Ace Combat: Northern Wings. It is a stealth fighter aircraft that was intentionally built to replace the F-15C Eagle. Due to its exceptional maneuverability and speed, the F-22 is considered to be one of the best aircrafts in the world. The F-22 is the flagship plane for almost every Ace Combat game so far, and the F-22A is also the main aircraft of several aces in the Ace Combat series.

Description
The F-22 was first flown as the YF-22 in September 29, 1990 as part of the ATF program along with the YF-23A Black Widow II. After a hard-fought fly off, the F-22 was declared the winner in August 1991. The main production version of the F-22 Raptor (also known as the Lightning II, Rapier and SuperStar until April 9, 1997) first flew on September 7, 1997. This version entered service in December of 2005. Its primary role is as an Air Superiority fighter, similar in effect to the F-15C Eagle that it was slated to replace. At one point it was to have a carrier based variant similar to the swept-wing F-14 Tomcat fortheaircraftcarrierGerald R. Ford as seen in some pictures and articles. The F-22A was also known as the F/A-22 for a short time due to the fact that the Raptor has a secondary ground-attack role. However, the name changed back to F-22A on September 12, 2005. One of the best traits of the F-22A Raptor is its advanced AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar, which can detect enemy aircraft and missile launches as well as jam incoming hostile missiles; with its 2300 transmitters it is stronger than any other radar. Its standard supercruise speed is Mach 1.5, or around 1225 miles per hour, but it has been able to reach a top cruising speed of Mach 1.8. Its true top speed is still classified. It also has superb agility due to its high thrust-to-weight ratio, high angle of attack, low wing loading, advanced "fly-by-wire" control (the system enabling control over light combat aircraft), and thrust vectoring nozzles like F-15S/MTD. The missiles on the the aircraft are stored in internal weapon bays: two under the wing root that can store two AIM-9X Sidewinder missles each and one under the fuselage that can store six AIM-120C/D AMRAAMs or a variety of air to ground munitions, such as members of the JDAM family, like the GBU-38 500 lb JDAM, or the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb.

"This ultimate stealth fighter is the pride of the U.S. Armed Forces. Aside from flight performance, it has top class acceleration performance and a two-dimensional thrust deflect nozzle which also gives it outstanding maneuverability. Its preemptive strike power, called "first look, first shoot, first kill," is fitting for an aircraft with the name "Raptor," the master of the skies."

- Hangar description in Ace Combat Assault Horizon. The description states it clear as the best fighter aircraft in real world.

Armament and Aces/Squadrons
Standard Weapons= Special Weapons= Aces/Squadrons=
 * Gun: 1x internal 20mm Martin Marietta M61A2 Lightweight Vulcan Cannon
 * MSSL: AIM-9M Sidewinder
 * HACM: AIM-9X Sidewinder (ACJA)
 * LGWM: R550 Magic (ACJA)
 * HVWM: AIM-132 ASRAAM (ACJA)
 * GPB: GBU-31 JDAM (AC4 & ACZ) or GBU-28 Paveway III (ACX, ACX2)
 * QAAM: AIM-9X Sidewinder (AC6, AC:AH), R-73 Archer (ACX2)
 * XMAA: AIM-120C AMRAAM (ACZ), (AC4, AC5 ,ACX, ACX2)
 * SOD: AGM-154 JSOW (ACZ, AC6), Storm Shadow (ACX, ACJA)
 * XMA6: AIM-120C AMRAAM (AC6)
 * 4AAM: AIM-120C AMRAAM (AC:AH)
 * Mobius Squadron (ISAF/AC4/AC5/Katrina)
 * Abell (FEAF/AC4)
 * Falco Squadron (AAF/ACX)
 * Bergvogel "Mountain Bird" (BAF/ACZ)
 * Adler "Eagle" (BAF/ACZ)
 * Ritter "Knight" (BAF/AWWNB/ACZ)
 * Mobius (Possibly Mobius 1. Only appears in The Gauntlet on Ace mode if Espada Squadron is shot down under a minute) (ISAF/ACZ)
 * Aquila (AAF/ACX)
 * Gryphus Squadron (AAF/ACX)
 * Pain (LAF/ACX)
 * Pegas "Pegasus" (EAF/AC6)
 * Unicorn (EAF/AC6)
 * Ceres (EAF/AC6)
 * Mobius One (EAF, possible non-canon appearance) (AC6, Ace of Aces)
 * Gryphus One (AAF) (AC6, Ace of Aces)
 * Antares Squadron (Martinez Security) (ACJA)
 * Gryphus 1 (Aurelian Air Force/ACJA)
 * Mobius 1 (ISAF/ACJA)
 * Warwolf Squadron (NATO/USAF/AC:AH)
 * Coyote Squadron (NATO/USAF/AC:AH)
 * Scarface One (FCU/AC:AHL)

Stats
Ace Combat Zero= Ace Combat 04= Ace Combat 5= Ace Combat 6= Ace Combat X= Ace Combat Xi= Joint Assault= Assault Horizon= Assault Horizon Legacy=
 * Speed: 83
 * Mobility: 88
 * Stability: 82
 * Defense: 66
 * Air-to-Air: 96
 * Air-to-Ground: 59
 * Speed:
 * Air-to-Air:
 * Air-to-Ground:
 * Mobility:
 * Stability:
 * Defense:
 * Speed: 83
 * Mobility: 88
 * Stability: 82
 * Defense: 66
 * Air-to-Air: 96
 * Air-to-Ground: 59
 * Speed: 89
 * Mobility: 85
 * Stability: 82
 * Defense: 66
 * Air-to-Air: 96
 * Air-to-Ground: 59
 * Speed: 78
 * Air-to-Air: 54
 * Air-to-Ground: 84
 * Mobility: 84
 * Stability: 78
 * Defense: 66
 * Speed:
 * Air-to-Air:
 * Air-to-Ground:
 * Mobility:
 * Stability:
 * Defense:
 * Speed:
 * Air-to-Air:
 * Air-to-Ground:
 * Mobility:
 * Stability:
 * Defense:
 * Speed: High
 * Mobility: High
 * Stability: High
 * Fire Power: High
 * Defense: Medium-High
 * Speed:
 * Air-to-Air:
 * Air-to-Ground:
 * Mobility:
 * Stability:
 * Defense:

Trivia

 * Though the top speed of the F-22A Raptor is still classified, it has become as common knowledge that the Raptor can reach speeds topping Mach 3 as F-22A pilots have proudly borne their Mach 3 patches in public. Speculation is that speeds this great at lower altitudes degrade the stealth ability of the Raptor through detrimental effects to the radar absorbing material on the exterior of the aircraft, as flying at high speeds causes huge strain and heat on the surface of the aircraft and would burn the material, and render it's stealth useless. Therefore, the Raptor can only sustain that speed for only a short period of time. In order to sustain Mach 3 speed for long periods of time, an aircraft has to be made out of titanium as used on the SR-71 Blackbird, which is too heavy for an aircraft the size of an F-22. The only other fighters in service that can reach speeds of Mach 3 is the MiG-25 Foxbat, and the MiG-31 Foxhound. The speed the F-22 can sustain for longer periods with afterburner is actually greater than Mach 2.42 ( 1600-1660 mph).
 * The United States Air Force plans to have 187 Raptors in their inventory by 2012. No other real world Air Force flies the Raptor.
 * The F-22, EF-2000, and F-16 variants share the highest record of eleven appearences in Ace Combat games.
 * The fifth color for the F-22 in Ace Combat: Joint Assault is the same as the last two Orgoi aircraft seen in the same game. It was likely that the Golden Axe Plan Private Army intended to field the F-22A for use as a carrier fighter onboard the Orgoi, but for some reason cancelled the plan.
 * The image with the caption: 'An F-22 dodging debris from an enemy aricraft' shows a tailsign of TY rather than FF. TY is representative of Tyndall Air Force Base, which was home to the first operational F-22 fighter squadron, the 43d Fighter Squadron, tasked with training pilots on flying the F-22. FF indicates the 1st Fighter Wing, the Fighting First, from which the tall number is derived, the first operational wing of F-22s consisting of 40 frontline F-22s.
 * While the PAK-FA is on Assault Horizon as the best Multirole aircraft, the F-22 is the best in the category fighter. The F-22 is also the only American fighter capable of Kulbit turns and Pugachev Cobras aside from Russian planes.
 * In Assault Horizon the PAK FAs speed stat is slightly higher than the F-22s, but in actual gameplay the F-22 reaches 2855 km/h and the PAK-FA 2831 km/h.