F-35 JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER TO REPLACE F-22 RAPTOR

US Congress voted to officially retire the F-22 Raptor in favor of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter or the F-35 Lightning II. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will take to the skies in 2011.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation, single-seat, single-engine, stealth-capable military strike fighter, a multirole aircraft that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air defense missions.The F-35's main engine is the Pratt & Whitney F135.The F-35 includes a GAU-22/A four-barrel 25 mm cannon.up to two air-to-air missiles and two air-to-ground weapons

The USAF has conducted an analysis of the F-35's air-to-air performance against all 4th generation fighter aircraft currently available, and has found the F-35 to be at least four times more effective. Maj Gen Charles R. Davis, USAF, the F-35 program executive officer, has stated that the "F-35 enjoys a significant Combat Loss Exchange Ratio advantage over the current and future air-to-air threats, to include Sukhois". The Russian, Indian, Chinese, and other air forces operate Sukhoi Su-27/30 fighters.