11:48 30-09-2025

F-22 Retirement: Why High Maintenance Costs Ended Its Service

By Rob Shenk from Great Falls, VA, USA - F-22 Raptor, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

The U.S. Air Force is retiring the F-22 Raptor due to soaring maintenance costs and limited combat use. Learn why the powerful fighter is being phased out.

According to Harrison Kass, a columnist for The National Interest, the U. S. Air Force is discontinuing the use of its F-22 Raptor fifth-generation fighters due to the high costs associated with their maintenance.

Kass also believes the F-22 is the most powerful fighter ever to serve in the U. S. Air Force, noting that over the years of its operation, no rival aircraft has come close to matching its capabilities.

Despite the aircraft’s impressive success, Kass points out that it is being actively phased out. He suggests that the remarkable fighter, designed for air superiority, is likely to be retired before it has ever truly been tested in a real air combat scenario.

The expert reminded readers that production of the F-22 ceased in 2012, with a total of 187 units built, despite initial plans for the Air Force to purchase 750 aircraft. The decision to halt production was primarily due to excessive costs. At that time, the U.S. was engaged in conflicts with insurgents, where the expensive fighter couldn’t fully demonstrate its potential.

Kass further explained that after the production line was closed, the maintenance costs for each F-22 soared. The emergence of the more affordable F-35 Lightning II, along with the Pentagon’s shift toward prioritizing drones, led to the further reduction of F-22s in service.