thumb|F-22 flying with its Pratt & Whitney F119 engines on full afterburner during testing|alt=Rear view of jet aircraft in-flight at dawn/dusk above mountains. Its engines are in full afterburner, evident through the presence of shock diamonds. The F-22's high cruise speed and operating altitude over prior fighters improve the effectiveness of its sensors and weapon systems, and increase survivability against ground defenses such as surface-to-air missiles.Grant, Rebecca. "Why The F-22 Is Vital Part 13." United Press International, 31 March 2009. Its ability to supercruise, or sustain supersonic flight without using afterburners, allows it to intercept targets that afterburner-dependent aircraft would lack the fuel to reach. The use of internal weapons bays permits the aircraft to maintain comparatively higher performance over most other combat-configured fighters due to a lack of parasitic drag from external stores. The F-22's thrust and aerodynamics enable regular combat speeds of Mach 1.5 at , thus providing 50% greater employment range for air-to-air missiles and twice the effective range for JDAMs than with prior platforms."USAF Almanac." Air Force Magazine, May 2006. Its structure contains a significant amount of high-strength materials to withstand stress and heat of sustained supersonic flight. Respectively, titanium alloys and bismaleimide/epoxy composites comprise 42% and 24% of the structural weight; the materials and multiple load path structural design also enable good ballistic survivability.
thumb|F-22 flying with its Pratt & Whitney F119 engines on full afterburner during testing|alt=Rear view of jet aircraft in-flight at dawn/dusk above mountains. Its engines are in full afterburner, evident through the presence of shock diamonds. The F-22's high cruise speed and operating altitude over prior fighters improve the effectiveness of its sensors and weapon systems, and increase survivability against ground defenses such as surface-to-air missiles.Grant, Rebecca. "Why The F-22 Is Vital Part 13" United Press International, 31 March 2009 Its ability to supercruise, or sustain supersonic flight without using afterburners, al.lows it to intercept targets that afterburner-dependent aircraft would lack the fuel to reach. The use of internal weapons bays permits the aircraft to maintain comparati.vely higher performance over most other combat-configured fighters due to a lack of parasitic drag from external stores. The F-22's thrust and aerodynamics enable regular combat speeds of Mach 1.5 at , thus providing 50% greater employment range for air-to-air missiles and twice the effective range for JDAMs than with prior platforms."USAF Almanac." Air Force Magazine, May 2006. Its structure contains a significant amount of high-strength materials to withstand stress and heat of sustained supersonic flight. Respectively, titanium alloys and bismaleimide/epoxy composites comprise 42% and 24% of the structural weight; the materials and multiple load path structural design also enable good ballistic survivability.