11 up-close photos of the F-22 Raptor, which 'played an integral role' in the Syria strike

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April 19, 2018 4:27 PM

The US Air Force's F-22 Raptor is arguably the best stealth jet in the world.

The F-22 is arguably the best stealth jet in the world, despite being introduced more than a decade ago.

Although Russia and China recently put their first stealth fighter jets into combat service, both aircraft have yet to be mass produced and Moscow and Beijing have reportedly had problems with the fifth generation engines.

One could make a case for the F-35 being superior to the F-22, but they are ultimately different kinds of aircraft. The F-35 is more of a bomber and a reconnaissance jet, whereas the F-22 is a stealthier fighter and more maneuverable.

Here's what it can do:

The F-22 is an air dominance, multi-role fighter that was made operational in 2005.

The F-22 was contracted by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, two of the largest defense contractors and political donors in the US.

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It's nearly 17 feet tall, over 62 feet long, and has a wingspan of nearly 45 feet.

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It also weighs 43,340 pounds.

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It's powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines that provide a total of 70,000 pounds of thrust.

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The F-22 can travel at speeds greater than Mach 2 and has the ability to supercruise, which the F-35 can't.

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It also has a maximum range of 1,850 miles.

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And a maximum altitude of more than 50,000 feet.

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It can also carry a variety of munitions, including radar-guided air-to-air missiles, heat seeking air-to-air missiles, joint direct attack munitions, and more.

The picture above shows the Raptor's main internal weapons bays.

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Each Raptor costs $143 million.

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But the Raptor program was terminated in 2009, with the last one being delivered to the Air Force in 2012. Although there have been rumblings of it being restarted to upgrade the aircraft.

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The US currently has a fleet of 183 Raptors.

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