- US federal law prohibits the sale of the model to other governments to protect the confidentiality of the design.
- A-4AR Fightinghawk: the Argentine fighter-bomber aircraft that combines the technology of two other combat aircraft.
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| They stopped manufacturing in 2011. / USAF |
F-22 Raptor: the US 'top secret' aircraft with stealth technology
The US Air Force F-22 Raptor aircraft was developed by Lockheed Martin to demonstrate its technological potential.
In 2011 they stopped manufacturing due to their high costs, despite the fact that they entered service in 2005. Their technical characteristics are still 'top secret' because many of the advances used for their creation are classified.
Characteristic
It was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter but had additional capabilities that allowed it to perform ground attacks, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics was the prime contractor and was responsible for most of the F-22's airframe, weapons system, and final assembly. Additionally, the program partner was Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, which provided wings, rear fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.
The United States Air Force considers the F-22 as a fundamental component in the tactical air power of its country, also, the total cost of the investment was 356 million dollars.
The design gave it a degree of reduced observability from all types of sensors, including radar, infrared, acoustic, and radio frequency signatures. It also had an alert system called the 'Signature Assessment System' that presented indicators to require major repairs.
Not marketed
United States federal law prohibits their sale to other governments since the Department of Defense Appropriations Act protects the confidentiality of the technology used in the system and design.
The legislation states that "none of the funds available in this Act may be used to approve or license the sale of the F-22 advanced tactical fighter to any foreign government."
In 2009, a US Senate panel asked the US Air Force to develop a variant of the F-22 Raptor aircraft for export to other markets, but unfortunately, the project did not go ahead.
Lockheed Martin created the F-35 as an alternative, a multirole fighter with stealth capabilities and available for commercial sale.
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Technology