The F-22 Raptor has acquired almost-mythical status in contemporary air warfare—not only for what it can accomplish in the air, but because no other nation may fly it. Although the United States has sold top-shelf fighters such as the F-16, F/A-18, and even the F-35 to reliable allies, the Raptor is an American-only membership club. Why? It boils down to a combination of money, strategy, law, and ferocious passion to protect its secrets.
Here are the four key reasons the F-22 was never—and probably won’t ever be—exported.
4. The Price Tag and Production Problem
Describing the F-22 as expensive is a mild understatement. After adding in research, development, inflation, and production, each plane ends up costing approximately $350 million. And that’s just the cost of buying it—operating and keeping it flying is an entirely other magnitude of expense. It’s roughly estimated to cost €60,000 an hour to keep a Raptor in flight, nearly twice the operating expense of the newer F-35.
Even if a friendly power were to offer to purchase them today, they’d be running into a huge hurdle: the factory line closed in 2011. It would take billions to restart it, and Lockheed Martin already reused much of the initial tooling for the F-35 program. From a strictly monetary and logistical perspective, it’s simpler—and considerably less expensive—for other countries to use planes like the F-35, which remains in production and considerably less expensive.
3. Strategic and Geopolitical Leverage
The Raptor is not merely a fighter—it’s a strategic wild card. Its stealth capabilities, speed, and air superiority make it one of the most formidable pieces of military hardware in America’s arsenal, particularly in a battle of equals with peer rival Russia.
Transferring that capability, even to very close friends, would dilute America’s advantage. There’s always the possibility of sensitive systems being degraded through cyber espionage, battlefield defeat, or even allied misuse. Keeping the F-22 proprietary, the U.S. ensures that it can deploy the airplane to key parts of the world—whether in Europe, the Pacific, or elsewhere—without concern that its secrets will be disseminated around the globe.
2. A Congressional Lockdown
Even if the Pentagon were to want to peddle Raptors, it simply can’t legally do so. Congress approved the Obey Amendment in 1998, which outright prohibits selling the F-22 to any overseas military. The legislation doesn’t leave room for interpretation. Attempts at making an “export-friendly” Raptor have been DOA because the legal hurdle is so solid.
Unless legislators voted to reverse the prohibition—something that would take unusual, widespread political consensus—the F-22 will stay off the global market.
1. Protecting the U.S. Crown Jewels of Technology
The single most compelling reason is also the most evident: The F-22 is full of technology the U.S. can’t afford to lose. From its radar-absorbing materials and stealth shaping to its cutting-edge avionics and sensor fusion, the Raptor’s performance is the result of decades of research and billions of dollars’ worth of investment.
Its radar cross-section is so diminutive that it’s likened to a metal marble, making it virtually undetectable to the enemy. Allowing this type of technology to fall into the wrong hands would be a bad dream. The issue isn’t mere fantasy and has pilfered information on the F-22, F-35, and C-130 through cyber intrusions and insider theft. Even the most trusted of allies, such as Japan and Australia, have been turned down in their requests for the Raptor.
If a Raptor were to crash or fall into enemy hands, enemies could tear it apart and possibly reverse-engineer its systems. That’s a risk the U.S. just won’t take.
For all the mystery, the F-22 Raptor’s exclusivity isn’t simply about pride—it’s about safeguarding an irreplaceable advantage in aerial combat. With crippling expense, strategic value, an iron-clad legal prohibition, and unparalleled classified technology, the Raptor remains firmly in the grasp of America.
It’s the ultimate “look but don’t touch” warplane—and for the foreseeable future, it’s remaining that way.
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