A "new" F-22 Raptor is about to join the U.S. Air Force, nearly a decade after production of the world's most advanced jet fighter shut down. The fighter will be upgraded to current standards and used to test new tech that might someday equip F-22s flying from Hawaii to Syria.
The F-22 was one of just 195 Raptors built between 1996 and 2011. In 2009, facing an economic recession and the pressures of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Obama Administration and Congress agreed to end production of the advanced fighter.
The Raptor, serial number 91-4006, is an engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) model aircraft, writes FlightGlobal. EMD aircraft were built during the 1990s and early 2000s to test technologies before full production began. According to open source records, 91-4006 was delivered to the U.S. Air Force and flew with the 411th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California before being put into mothballs.
The aircraft, which was stored at Edwards Air Force Base in the Block 10 standard, is in the process of being upgraded to the Block 20 standard. Block 20 incorporated a host of upgrades over Block 10, including a new central processor, improvements to its ability to use AIM-120 AMRAAM air to air missiles, and the ability to drop GPS-guided small diameter bombs at supersonic speeds.
It's unknown exactly what new tech the Air Force will test with 91-4006, but it has been interested in expanding the F-22's networking capabilities -- particularly with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and incorporating laser weapons into the Raptor platform.
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
