F-22 Raptor vs China’s J-20 and Russia’s Su-57: Why the U.S. Still Dominates the Skies
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The U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor still sets the standard for air dominance, giving the United States a decisive edge as rivalry with China and Russia sharpens. Combining stealth, supersonic speed, and advanced sensor fusion, the F-22 is built to enter contested airspace first, find threats before being seen, and eliminate them.
More than 20 years after its debut, the Lockheed Martin fighter remains a cornerstone of U.S. war planning, designed to secure control of the skies against rapidly advancing near-peer forces. As adversaries field more capable aircraft and air defenses, the F-22’s ability to penetrate, disrupt, and win early in a conflict continues to underpin America’s airpower advantage.
Read also: U.S. Tests F-22 Raptor with Stealth Fuel Tanks and Sensor Pods for Long-Range Missions in Contested Airspace
The U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation stealth air superiority fighter featuring supercruise, low-observable design, AN/APG-77 AESA radar, and advanced sensor fusion for beyond-visual-range dominance in contested airspace. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War)
Recent U.S. Air Force modernization updates and deployment patterns in the Indo-Pacific and Europe underscore the F-22’s continued frontline relevance, particularly in scenarios involving advanced integrated air defense systems and fifth-generation threats. As highlighted in multiple service briefings through 2025, the aircraft’s upgrades directly enhance deterrence by preserving qualitative air dominance in high-end conflict environments against China’s expanding airpower and Russia’s layered air defense networks.
Originally conceived under the Advanced Tactical Fighter program to counter Soviet-era threats, the F-22 was engineered for beyond-visual-range dominance and survivability against dense air defense networks. Its operational debut in the mid-2000s marked a generational leap in fighter design, combining low-observable stealth shaping with high agility and advanced mission systems. While early missions focused on permissive environments in the Middle East, including precision strikes in Syria, the platform has since shifted decisively back toward preparing for high-intensity conflict against technologically advanced adversaries.
At the core of the Raptor’s combat effectiveness is its ability to operate inside denied environments without detection. Its radar cross-section reduction, internal weapons carriage, and advanced electronic warfare capabilities allow it to penetrate sophisticated air defense systems such as Russia’s S-400 and S-500, as well as China’s HQ-9 and emerging HQ-22 networks. This survivability enables the aircraft to act as a forward sensor and first-day-of-war asset, neutralizing enemy fighters and opening corridors for follow-on forces.
The U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team perform during the 2025 Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show in San Diego, Sept. 27, 2025.
The F-22’s supercruise capability, sustained supersonic flight without afterburner, provides a decisive advantage in both interception and engagement timelines. Operating at speeds above Mach 1.5 with a combat radius exceeding 800 km, the aircraft can rapidly project power across large theaters such as the Indo-Pacific or Eastern Europe. This combination of speed and range is critical in countering China’s long-range air operations and Russia’s emphasis on rapid-response air defense.
Equally critical is the Raptor’s sensor fusion architecture, centered around its AN/APG-77 AESA radar and integrated avionics suite. The system enables pilots to detect, track, and engage multiple targets at long range while remaining electronically silent. Data from onboard and offboard sources is fused into a single tactical picture, allowing the F-22 to function not only as a shooter but also as a battle manager in complex air operations. This capability is increasingly vital in scenarios where electronic warfare and cyber disruption are expected to degrade traditional command-and-control structures.
The emergence of rival fifth-generation platforms, including China’s Chengdu J-20 and Russia’s Su-57, has intensified the strategic importance of the F-22 fleet. The J-20 is designed for long-range engagements and anti-access missions, often equipped with PL-15 beyond-visual-range missiles intended to threaten high-value enablers such as tankers and AWACS aircraft. Its large size supports an extended range, but it may present a larger radar signature from certain aspects. The Su-57, on the other hand, prioritizes agility and multirole flexibility, incorporating thrust-vectoring engines and a diverse weapons suite, but it lacks the same level of stealth refinement and has yet to achieve large-scale operational deployment.
In direct comparison, the F-22 maintains a decisive advantage in first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability, a core principle of modern air combat. Its stealth profile is optimized across multiple radar bands, and its avionics are widely regarded as more mature and combat-proven than those of its competitors. While China and Russia are rapidly advancing their aerospace technologies, the Raptor benefits from decades of continuous upgrades, rigorous pilot training, and integration into a highly networked joint force structure.
Integration into joint and coalition operations is another defining aspect of the F-22’s current role. The aircraft increasingly operates alongside the F-35 Lightning II, forming a high-low mix where the F-22 leads in air dominance and the F-35 enhances situational awareness and targeting across domains. In the Indo-Pacific, this combination is particularly relevant for countering China’s anti-access strategies, while in Europe it strengthens NATO’s deterrence posture against Russian aggression. The Raptor is also being adapted for manned-unmanned teaming, with future concepts involving control of autonomous collaborative combat aircraft to extend sensor reach and weapons capacity.
Looking ahead, the U.S. Air Force plans to transition from the F-22 to the Next Generation Air Dominance system, a family of systems designed to maintain air superiority against emerging threats from peer competitors. However, this next-generation capability is still under development, and the F-22 will continue to serve as the backbone of U.S. air dominance well into the 2030s. Ongoing upgrades, including improvements to communications, electronic warfare systems, and weapons integration such as the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, are specifically aimed at countering Chinese and Russian advancements.
Strategically, the U.S. F-22 Raptor represents more than a legacy platform; it is a critical enabler of deterrence in an era defined by renewed great-power competition. Its ability to penetrate contested airspace, dismantle enemy airpower, and enable joint force operations directly shapes the balance of power in both the Indo-Pacific and European theaters. As China expands its J-20 fighter fleet and Russia continues to evolve its Su-57 program alongside advanced ground-based defenses, maintaining the F-22’s technological and operational edge remains essential to ensuring the United States retains air superiority in future conflicts.Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition GroupAlain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.
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The U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor still sets the standard for air dominance, giving the United States a decisive edge as rivalry with China and Russia sharpens. Combining stealth, supersonic speed, and advanced sensor fusion, the F-22 is built to enter contested airspace first, find threats before being seen, and eliminate them.
More than 20 years after its debut, the Lockheed Martin fighter remains a cornerstone of U.S. war planning, designed to secure control of the skies against rapidly advancing near-peer forces. As adversaries field more capable aircraft and air defenses, the F-22’s ability to penetrate, disrupt, and win early in a conflict continues to underpin America’s airpower advantage.
The U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation stealth air superiority fighter featuring supercruise, low-observable design, AN/APG-77 AESA radar, and advanced sensor fusion for beyond-visual-range dominance in contested airspace. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War)
Recent U.S. Air Force modernization updates and deployment patterns in the Indo-Pacific and Europe underscore the F-22’s continued frontline relevance, particularly in scenarios involving advanced integrated air defense systems and fifth-generation threats. As highlighted in multiple service briefings through 2025, the aircraft’s upgrades directly enhance deterrence by preserving qualitative air dominance in high-end conflict environments against China’s expanding airpower and Russia’s layered air defense networks.
Originally conceived under the Advanced Tactical Fighter program to counter Soviet-era threats, the F-22 was engineered for beyond-visual-range dominance and survivability against dense air defense networks. Its operational debut in the mid-2000s marked a generational leap in fighter design, combining low-observable stealth shaping with high agility and advanced mission systems. While early missions focused on permissive environments in the Middle East, including precision strikes in Syria, the platform has since shifted decisively back toward preparing for high-intensity conflict against technologically advanced adversaries.
At the core of the Raptor’s combat effectiveness is its ability to operate inside denied environments without detection. Its radar cross-section reduction, internal weapons carriage, and advanced electronic warfare capabilities allow it to penetrate sophisticated air defense systems such as Russia’s S-400 and S-500, as well as China’s HQ-9 and emerging HQ-22 networks. This survivability enables the aircraft to act as a forward sensor and first-day-of-war asset, neutralizing enemy fighters and opening corridors for follow-on forces.
The U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team perform during the 2025 Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show in San Diego, Sept. 27, 2025.
The F-22’s supercruise capability, sustained supersonic flight without afterburner, provides a decisive advantage in both interception and engagement timelines. Operating at speeds above Mach 1.5 with a combat radius exceeding 800 km, the aircraft can rapidly project power across large theaters such as the Indo-Pacific or Eastern Europe. This combination of speed and range is critical in countering China’s long-range air operations and Russia’s emphasis on rapid-response air defense.
Equally critical is the Raptor’s sensor fusion architecture, centered around its AN/APG-77 AESA radar and integrated avionics suite. The system enables pilots to detect, track, and engage multiple targets at long range while remaining electronically silent. Data from onboard and offboard sources is fused into a single tactical picture, allowing the F-22 to function not only as a shooter but also as a battle manager in complex air operations. This capability is increasingly vital in scenarios where electronic warfare and cyber disruption are expected to degrade traditional command-and-control structures.
The emergence of rival fifth-generation platforms, including China’s Chengdu J-20 and Russia’s Su-57, has intensified the strategic importance of the F-22 fleet. The J-20 is designed for long-range engagements and anti-access missions, often equipped with PL-15 beyond-visual-range missiles intended to threaten high-value enablers such as tankers and AWACS aircraft. Its large size supports an extended range, but it may present a larger radar signature from certain aspects. The Su-57, on the other hand, prioritizes agility and multirole flexibility, incorporating thrust-vectoring engines and a diverse weapons suite, but it lacks the same level of stealth refinement and has yet to achieve large-scale operational deployment.
In direct comparison, the F-22 maintains a decisive advantage in first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability, a core principle of modern air combat. Its stealth profile is optimized across multiple radar bands, and its avionics are widely regarded as more mature and combat-proven than those of its competitors. While China and Russia are rapidly advancing their aerospace technologies, the Raptor benefits from decades of continuous upgrades, rigorous pilot training, and integration into a highly networked joint force structure.
Integration into joint and coalition operations is another defining aspect of the F-22’s current role. The aircraft increasingly operates alongside the F-35 Lightning II, forming a high-low mix where the F-22 leads in air dominance and the F-35 enhances situational awareness and targeting across domains. In the Indo-Pacific, this combination is particularly relevant for countering China’s anti-access strategies, while in Europe it strengthens NATO’s deterrence posture against Russian aggression. The Raptor is also being adapted for manned-unmanned teaming, with future concepts involving control of autonomous collaborative combat aircraft to extend sensor reach and weapons capacity.
Looking ahead, the U.S. Air Force plans to transition from the F-22 to the Next Generation Air Dominance system, a family of systems designed to maintain air superiority against emerging threats from peer competitors. However, this next-generation capability is still under development, and the F-22 will continue to serve as the backbone of U.S. air dominance well into the 2030s. Ongoing upgrades, including improvements to communications, electronic warfare systems, and weapons integration such as the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, are specifically aimed at countering Chinese and Russian advancements.
Strategically, the U.S. F-22 Raptor represents more than a legacy platform; it is a critical enabler of deterrence in an era defined by renewed great-power competition. Its ability to penetrate contested airspace, dismantle enemy airpower, and enable joint force operations directly shapes the balance of power in both the Indo-Pacific and European theaters. As China expands its J-20 fighter fleet and Russia continues to evolve its Su-57 program alongside advanced ground-based defenses, maintaining the F-22’s technological and operational edge remains essential to ensuring the United States retains air superiority in future conflicts.
Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.
