Why America’s Top Fighter Is Trading Pure Stealth For Passive Detection & Range
The United States Air Force is upgrading the Lockheed MartinF-22 Raptor below its modernization program, with $90.34 million requested within the FY2026 funds, including stealthy exterior gasoline tanks, Infrared Search and Track (IRST) pods, and a brand new helmet-mounted show to maintain the fighter operational into the 2030s. The upgrades, sometimes called “Raptor 2.0”, give…