{"slug":"f-22-vs-f-35)","question":"F-22 Raptor vs F-35 Lightning II","answer":"The F-22 is a dedicated air superiority fighter with superior speed (Mach 2.25 vs Mach 1.6) and maneuverability, while the F-35 is a multi-role stealth fighter designed for versatility across air, ground, and naval missions with lower operational costs. The F-22 dominates in pure dogfighting capability, but the F-35 offers greater mission flexibility and advanced sensor fusion across three service variants.","answer_curated":true,"verdict":"Choose the F-22 if air dominance and extreme speed in peer-to-peer conflicts are the priority—its Mach 2.25 speed and superior turn rate make it unmatched in dogfighting scenarios. Choose the F-35 if you need a flexible multi-role platform that can handle air defense, ground strike, electronic warfare, and naval operations across allied air forces—its lower cost, three service variants, and advanced sensor fusion justify the trade-off in speed for mission versatility.","keyDifferences":[{"label":"Maximum Speed","winner":"a","entityAValue":"Mach 2.25 (1,500+ mph)","entityBValue":"Mach 1.6 (1,190 mph)"},{"label":"Primary Role","winner":"b","entityAValue":"Air Superiority / Dogfighting","entityBValue":"Multi-Role (Air, Ground, Naval)"},{"label":"Stealth Design Focus","winner":"tie","entityAValue":"Optimized for air-to-air combat stealth","entityBValue":"Optimized for all-aspect stealth across missions"},{"label":"Unit Cost (2026)","winner":"b","entityAValue":"$150-180 million","entityBValue":"$110-130 million"},{"label":"Service Variants","winner":"b","entityAValue":"Single variant (USAF only)","entityBValue":"Three variants (USAF F-35A, Navy F-35C, Marines F-35B)"}],"winner":{"slug":"f-35-lightning-ii","name":"F-35 Lightning II"},"confidence":"high","entities":[{"name":"F-22 Raptor","slug":"f-22-raptor","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/entity/f-22-raptor","alternativesUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/alternatives/f-22-raptor"},{"name":"F-35 Lightning II","slug":"f-35-lightning-ii","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/entity/f-35-lightning-ii","alternativesUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/alternatives/f-35-lightning-ii"}],"faqs":[{"question":"Which fighter would win in a dogfight?","answer":"The F-22 has a clear advantage in close-range dogfighting due to its superior sustained turn rate (28.5 deg/sec vs 24.0), higher angle-of-attack capability, and Mach 2.25 speed. However, modern air combat is increasingly fought at range using sensor fusion and stealth—the F-35's HMDS and distributed aperture system give it significant beyond-visual-range advantages. A real engagement would depend heavily on initial detection, pilot skill, and tactical situation rather than maneuverability alone."},{"question":"Why does the F-35 cost less if it's newer?","answer":"The F-35 costs less per unit ($120M vs $165M) because it was designed from inception for affordability through mass production across three services and 19+ allied nations. The F-22 was built in limited quantities (187 aircraft) as a specialized air superiority platform with higher per-unit R&D amortization. Production economies of scale and competitive pricing across the supply chain make the F-35 significantly cheaper despite being a younger design."},{"question":"Can the F-35 do what the F-22 does?","answer":"The F-35 can perform air-to-air missions but is not optimized for them. It trades dogfighting performance (turn rate, speed) for mission versatility—it excels at ground strike, electronic warfare, and sensor fusion across all domains. The F-22 is purpose-built for air superiority. For pure air dominance missions, the F-22 is superior; for balanced multi-mission operations, the F-35 is more capable."}],"attribution":{"source":"A Versus B","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/f-22-vs-f-35)","license":"CC BY 4.0","citationFormat":"According to A Versus B (https://www.aversusb.net/compare/f-22-vs-f-35)), The F-22 is a dedicated air superiority fighter with superior speed (Mach 2.25 vs Mach 1.6) and maneuverability, while the F-35 is a multi-role stealth fighter designed for versatility across air, gro","dateModified":"2026-07-09T01:28:20.307Z"},"relatedQuestionsUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/faq/f-22-vs-f-35)","relatedComparisonsUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/related/f-22-vs-f-35)","knowledgeGraphUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/knowledge-graph/f-22-vs-f-35)","claimReviewSchema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ClaimReview","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/f-22-vs-f-35)#claimreview","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/f-22-vs-f-35)","inLanguage":"en-US","isAccessibleForFree":true,"conditionsOfAccess":"Free","claimReviewed":"F-22 Raptor vs F-35 Lightning II","reviewBody":"The F-22 is a dedicated air superiority fighter with superior speed (Mach 2.25 vs Mach 1.6) and maneuverability, while the F-35 is a multi-role stealth fighter designed for versatility across air, ground, and naval missions with lower operational costs. The F-22 dominates in pure dogfighting capability, but the F-35 offers greater mission flexibility and advanced sensor fusion across three service variants.","datePublished":"2026-07-09T01:28:20.265Z","dateModified":"2026-07-09T01:28:20.307Z","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":5,"worstRating":1,"bestRating":5,"alternateName":"High Confidence"},"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B","url":"https://www.aversusb.net"},"itemReviewed":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/f-22-vs-f-35)","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/f-22-vs-f-35)","name":"F-22 Raptor vs F-35 Lightning II","inLanguage":"en-US"}}}