Why America Only Built 187 F-22 Raptors When It Wanted 750

The US Air Force wanted 750 F-22 Raptors. It got 187. The number didn't come from a military decision. It was the jets already paid for, plus four. So how did the world's best air-superiority fighter end up as one of the smallest fleets in the Air Force? We go back to the Advanced Tactical Fighter program of the 1980s and the YF-22 vs YF-23 fly-off, then look at what made the Raptor different: stealth, supercruise on two F119 engines and more, all in one airframe. Then we follow the production line to its last day in Marietta, Georgia, in December 2011, and ask why, with every tool saved, America still can't just build more. Should the US have kept the F-22 line open, or was 187 enough? Tell us in the comments. ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:24 The last raptor 1:12 What the air force ordered 2:15 How it actually works 3:23 The proof in alaska 4:16 The shrinking order 5:13 Where 187 came from 6:13 The export ban 7:13 The tooling in the desert 8:01 Why it can't be reopened 9:15 The raptor today 10:15 What replaces it 11:15 Final thoughts 11:43 Subscribe Footage courtesy of the U.S. Department of War (DVIDS). The appearance of U.S. Department of War visual information does not imply or constitute endorsement. Material bajo licencia Creative Commons: Steve Lynes from Sandshurst, United Kingdom (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons Logan Rickert (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons Łukasz Golowanow, Konflikty.pl (Attribution) · Wikimedia Commons Clemens Vasters from Viersen, Germany (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons kitmasterbloke (CC BY 2.0) · Openverse/flickr Michael Barera (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons Allspamme (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons Robert Scoble (Robert Scoble) (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons Geoff Lee (OGL v1.0) · Wikimedia Commons James St. John (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons Aircraf Parts (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons Wilson Hui (CC BY 2.0) · Openverse/flickr Oregon National Guard (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons BrokenSphere (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons Noah Wulf (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons Valder137 (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons