The first flight was the dawn of a completely new generation of fighter aircraftone that is stealthy, maneuverable, and lethal.

The US Air Force identified a requirement in 1981 for a new air superiority fighter to replace the F-15which then had been in service for just seven years.

The competitors in the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition were selected on Halloween in 1987.

The YF-22 and YF-23 prototypes were flown in 1990, and the Lockheed-Boeing-General Dynamics team won the ATF contest in 1991.

After nearly 44,000 wind tunnel test hours, 13,000 material sample tests, six years of development, and a trio of program rephasings mandated by Congress, the F-22 was finally airborne.

Wearing his lucky Super Chicken T-shirt under his flight suit, chief test pilot Paul Metz pulled the Raptors nose up and quickly gained speed and altitude, even with the landing gear down.

Jon Beesley, flying the safety chase aircraft, put his F-16 in afterburner to keep up with the Raptor.

After two circuits on a triangular route around north Georgia, Metz touched down fifty-eight minutes later.

As he rolled up the taxiway, he turned the jet slightly, tapped the brakes, and the jet bowed to the appreciative crowd.

It can soar 10 miles high and fly at supersonic speeds for extended periods of time thanks to an unprecedented capability known as supercruise, which propels the jet to speeds greater than Mach 1.5 without the use of afterburners.

It carries weapons primarily for striking airborne targets, but the Raptor pilot can also attack ground targets from standoff ranges..

And it is equipped with stealth technology that enables it to operate virtually undetected by radar.

The Air Force has described the F-22 as unmatched by any known or projected fighter.

The National Aeronautic Association awarded Lockheed Martin the 2006 Collier Trophy, American aviations most prestigious award, for designing, testing and operating the revolutionary F-22 Raptor, providing total air dominance for Americas future.

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