What is better, the F-22 or the F-35???

Question

Me and my friend are having an arguement over this, and was wondering which one is better in terms of:

Stealth, menuverability, firepower, convenience, and dogfighting.

Answer 1

I should think the F-22 is superior on most of the aspects you mentioned. Although I doubt the F-35 is far behind. Also I believe the Lightning was designed as a more of an all rounder sort of jet - bombing, ground attack, air attack.. where as the Raptor I think is more or less a superiority fighter.

Basically though, they are designed for different purpose/tasks/situations so their isn't all that much point in comparing them unless it is in regards to specific aspects such as those you mentioned (Stealth, maneuverability, firepower etc.)

Answer 2

The F-22 is for a number of reasons but you have to consider a few issues, especially the question of how you will use each aircraft. Are we using them as fighters or bombers? As a fighter, the F-22 is overwhelmingly superior. Supercruise capability gives the Raptor's pilot the ability to set up an engagement to his advantage every time by moving ahead of enemy aircraft and maeuvering around the at long ranges faster than they can respond. Its thrust vectoring and lower wing loading give it better maneuverability in a dogfight and the helmet mounted sight that gives the F-35 and advantage is being adapted to the F-22. The F-35 is slightly more detectable on radar as well. It also has an incredible communications set up that allows the pilot to coordinate with aircraft in the area better than any fighter in history. It can actually operate like a "mini AWACS". The F-22 was designed first as a fighter that guarantees air supremacy and is amazingly capable as such. This is actually a weakness in some ways, though. The F-22 has a weapons bay that is too short for almost all of our air to ground weaponry. It can only deploy JDAM and small diameter bombs. While those weapons are quite effeective, this is still very limiting for any attack missions. The F-35 can employ all of our air to ground enventory effectively, which makes it a much better attack aircraft. Its maneuverability is not much better than an F-16, however, which makes it a poor fighter in comparison the F-22. The problem is that you're almost comparing "apples to oranges". These aircraft are meant to work together to dominate a battlefield from the air. The F-22 will handle any existing and projected aerial threat while the F-35 can obliterate ground forces. As far as performance, the F-22 is the better aircraft but achieves this at incredibly high cost and can't do as much in an air to ground role . The F-35 can hold it's own in an aerial engagement, but is not nearly as dominant at air to air operations. If you put them up against each other in an air to air engagement, the F-22 would come out on top but, in the end, these aircraft are meant to complement each other as part of a larger force, not compete.

Answer 3

F-35's was F-22's little sister. Though F-35 was a lot newer, Raptors are much meaner and more expensive. How i wish F-35 were built with two engines and as large as raptor or F-15 because Flankers were really better airframe (sans technology) than the two.

Answer 4

I think the F-22. packs more force.

Answer 5

They have entirely different missions, so it's hard to compare the two.  It's (almost exactly) like asking which is better, the F-15 or the F-16.  As an air superiority fighter, the F-22 is the best in the world by far, and is likely to keep that distinction for at least a generation or two.  The F-35 is the next-generation all-purpose fighter/attack aircraft, and while it shares certain characteristics with its larger and slightly older cousin, it has to cover a wide variety of roles.  The F-35 is, in some respects, the spiritual successor of the Phantom.

Answer 6

I think the F-22. packs more force and capabilities.

Answer 7

Can we just look at simple logic?  The F-22 is a great aircraft that used the best technology available to perform it's maiden flight in 1990.  The F-35 was developed on the requirements the F-22 could not meet and had maiden flight in 2006.

Are you suggesting there were no improvement in the 16 years between the two fighters.  That would be a significant waste of money.