EAA received confirmation from the U.S. Air Force Thursday that two Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptors will return to Oshkosh this summer for an extended appearance at EAA AirVenture 2008. The advanced jet fighters will rumble into Wittman Regional Airport on Thursday, July 31, and perform flight demonstrations each day August 1-3. The 56th annual edition of the EAA fly-in convention will be held July 28-August 3. 

The Raptors burst onto the AirVenture scene during a brief but memorable flight demonstration in 2006. They returned to the World's Greatest Aviation Celebration last year for an extended appearance, thrilling AirVenture crowds with their incredible flight demonstrations. The F-22 also appeared in Heritage Flights in formation with vintage World War II and Korean War-era aircraft.

Video highlights from the F-22's 2007 Oshkosh appearance are available in the AirVenture video area.

The F-22's cutting-edge abilities are possible through a combination of high power, vectored thrust and integrated avionics. The airplane's stealth technology also allows it to elude detection and be more effective as a weapon in both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Its advanced operational concepts are described by the military as "vital to the 21st century Air Force."

These advanced attributes also allow the F-22A to perform air show maneuvers not seen from any previous U.S. military aircraft. Its afterburners allow it to climb vertically as soon as its wheels leave the ground, while the Raptor's control surfaces allow it to maneuver at speeds as low as 80 miles and hour, although its top speed is Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound, or more than 1,400 mph).

There are currently 91 Raptors in the Air Force inventory. F-22s based at Langley AFB, Virginia, received FOC (full operational capability) in December 2007.

F-22 Raptor Specifications

Builder:  Lockheed-Martin, Boeing
Power Plant: T wo Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburners and two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles.
Thrust (each engine):  35,000-pound class.
Length:  62 feet, 1 inch (18.9 meters).
Height:  16 feet, 8 inches (5.1 meters).
Wingspan:  44 feet, 6 inches (13.6 meters).
Speed:  Mach 2 class.
G Limit:  +9 G
Ceiling:  Above 50,000 feet (approximately 15 kilometers).
Empty Weight:  40,000-pound class (approximately 18,000 kilograms).
Armament:  One M61A2 20-millimeter cannon with 480 rounds; side weapon bays can carry two AIM-9 infrared (heat seeking) air-to-air missiles and main weapon bays can carry (air-to-air loadout) six AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles or (air-to-ground loadout) two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAMs and two AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles.
Crew:  One