I'm back after six months. I'll have to post a little less frequently because I was getting a bit overwhelmed, but now I'm back.

F-22 Raptor

The high cost of the aircraft development program (US$66.7 billion [ 9 ] ), delays in the development of the Russian and Chinese fifth-generation fighter programs , the export ban, and the development of the more versatile F-35 eventually ended the F-22 production program. [ 10 ] Today the US Air Force has 187 of these aircraft in active service, with the last F-22 delivered in 2012.

As a secondary weapon, the F-22 uses a 20mm M61A2 Vulcan cannon with 480 rounds. In its main armament, the Raptor can be armed with two AIM-9 short-range air-to-air missiles and up to six AIM-120 AMRAAMs medium- and long-range air-to-air missiles . For air-to-ground combat, the F-22 can be armed with two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAM bombs and two AIM-120 missiles . [ 1 ]

Despite the costs, for many years the F-22 was not used in combat. This led to criticism from many analysts, who stated that the aircraft could be a waste of money. Since the beginning of the 2000s, aircraft of this type have been sent to various American military bases, especially in Asia and Europe. In September 2014, F-22 fighters participated in an air offensive against Syria, which was experiencing a civil war . This was the first combat mission in the aircraft's history.

In August 2015, the United States dispatched a squadron of four F-22 fighter jets to Spangdahlem air base in Germany to reinforce the American military presence in Europe against a possible Russian threat .