Article Posted on : - May 06, 2012

US Air Force F-22 Raptor. A Lockheed Martin photo.

MARIETTA, GEORGIA (BNS): With the delivery of the last F-22 Raptor, the US Air Force now possesses the only 5th generation stealth fighter aircraft fleet in the world.

US defence major Lockheed Martin delivered the 195th and final F-22 Raptor to US Air Force leadership in a ceremony at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics site here on Wednesday.

The Raptor is the premier US fighter, with cutting-edge "fifth-generation" features, including shapes, materials and propulsion systems designed to make it appear as small as a swallow on enemy radar screens. It is capable of simultaneously conducting air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions.

The final Raptor joins a US Air Force fleet of 187 operational F-22s and will join other F-22s in the Air Force's 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

In all, Lockheed Martin delivered 195 F-22s to the Air Force beginning in 1997, with eight Raptors used as test aircraft. F-22s are assigned to seven US bases.