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Lockheed Martin Shows 'Raptor 2.0' Model With Stealthy Tanks and IRST Pods

The public reveal aligns with a schedule targeting operational tank deliveries by March 2026.

Image
World's first operational 5th gen fighter jet.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor waits to taxi on the flight line in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, Jan. 4, 2026. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Overview

  • Lockheed Martin displayed a production-representative F-22 scale model at the AFA Warfare Symposium featuring faceted low-drag external fuel tanks and underwing infrared sensor pods.
  • U.S. Air Force FY2025 budget documents say wind-tunnel and ground tests for the new tanks finished by late 2023, with flight testing beginning in Q1 2024.
  • Those documents plan deliveries of the low-observable tanks to F-22 squadrons by the end of March 2026 following developmental and operational testing.
  • The Air Force outlines an advanced IRST effort with a flight-test demonstration in FY2024, a production decision afterward, developmental testing in Q3 FY2025, and operational testing in Q4 FY2026.
  • The redesigned tanks are jettisonable to restore performance and signature, and Lockheed Martin expects some combat use with tanks attached, while the IRST pods add passive detection of stealthy targets at the cost of some radar-signature growth alongside broader avionics and defensive upgrades.