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 (for Air Combat, 04,X, and Joint Assault). F-22 variants have been featured in all Ace Combat games with the exception of Ace Combat Advance. It is a stealth fighter aircraft designed to replace the F-15C/D Eagle. Its premier payload and high maneuverability are also reasons why it has good reputation. The F-22 is the flagship plane for almost every Ace Combat game so far.

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, the Rapier and the SuperStar until April 9, 1997) first flew on September 7, 1997. This version entered service in December of 2005. It's primary role is as an Air Superiority fighter, similar in effect to the F-15C/D Eagle that it was slated to be replace. The missiles on the the aircraft were stored in internal weapon bays,two under the wing root and one under the fuselage. The F-22A was also known as the F/A-22 in 2002. This is due to the fact that the Raptor has a secondary ground-attack role. Another great roll that it could have played was as an carrier based variant for the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford as seen in some pictures and articles. However, the name changed back to F-22A on September 12, 2005. Some of the best traits of the F-22A Raptor are its super-advanced AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar,which can detect enemy aircraft and detect missle launches and even jam the missles, advanced missiles and its supreme performance. It has a supercruise that is normally around Mach 1.5, but can reach at top of Mach 1.8 without afterburners. 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, and thrust vectoring nozzles. The F-22 is truly a match for any other fighter, even for the elusive Su-37 Terminator. Interestingly, a scenario created by RAND described a situation where a Raptor could be splashed by a group of Su-35's when the Sukhoi's downed the Raptor's tanker support. This study was later proved to be highly inaccurate, due to the Raptor's clear performance advantage and stealth capabilities, and the Raptor solidified itself as the deadliest air superiority fighter in the world today.

Standard Weapons

 * Gun: 1x 20mm Martin Marietta M61A2 Lightweight Vulcan Cannon
 * Missile: AIM-9M Sidewinder

Special Weapons

 * GPB: GBU-31 JDAM (AC4 & ACZ) or GBU-28 Paveway III (ACX)
 * QAAM: AIM-9X Sidewinder (AC6, ACX2)
 * XMAA: AIM-120B AMRAAM (AC04, AC5, ACZ)
 * SOD: AGM-154 JSOW (ACZ, ACX & AC6)
 * XMA6: AIM-120C AMRAAM (AC6)
 * XMAA: AIM-120D AMRAAM (ACX, ACX2)

Aces

 * Mobius Squadron (ISAF/AC4, AC5-Arcade)
 * Abell (FEAF/AC4) Grey with FEAF SP Paint scheme
 * Falco (AAF/ACX)
 * Bergvogel (Mountain Bird) (BAF/ACZ)
 * Adler (Eagle) (BAF/ACZ)
 * Ritter (Knight) (BAF then AWWNB/ACZ)
 * Mobius (Possibly Mobius 1. Only appears in the Gauntlet on Ace mode if Espada Squadron is shot down in under a minute) (ISAF/ACZ)
 * Aquila (AAF/ACX)
 * Gryphus 1 (AAF/ACX)
 * Pain (LAF/ACX)
 * Pegas (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) (ACX2)
 * Gryphus 1 (Valahia/ACX2)
 * Mobius 1 (Valahia/ACX2)
 * Bishop (USAF/Ace Combat: Assault Horizon)

Ace Combat 5/Zero

 * Speed: 83
 * Mobility: 88
 * Stability: 82
 * Defense: 66
 * Air to Air: 96
 * Air to Ground: 59

Ace Combat 6

 * Speed: 89
 * Mobility: 85
 * Stability: 82
 * Defense: 66
 * Air-to-Air: 96
 * Air-to-Ground: 59

Ace Combat X

 * Speed: 78
 * Air-to-Air: 54
 * Air-to-Ground: 84
 * Mobility: 84
 * Stability: 78
 * Defense: 66

Comparable Aircraft

 * YF-23A Black Widow II
 * Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA
 * Su-37 Terminator
 * F-15S/MTD
 * Su-47 Berkut
 * MiG-1.44 Flatpack

Related Development

 * YF-22
 * FB-22
 * F-22C Raptor II
 * F-35C Lightning II
 * X-44 MANTA
 * F-35B Lightning II