Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor variant
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor F-22A Block 20
Baseline configuration of the Global Strike Task Force fleet, in service from 2007. It is the standard the training Raptors were left in: 37 aircraft remained at Block 20 after the common configuration plan.
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor sheet
History
Block 20 brought in radar components shared with the F-35, a dedicated high-speed radar processor, COTS-based CIP processors, the ability to employ the GBU-39/40 Small Diameter Bomb, high-resolution SAR radar modes, greater electronic support measures capability for the radar, two-way MIDS communication, improved software and enhanced electronic countermeasures. It entered service in 2007. Of the aircraft delivered to operational units, 74 went to training in the Block 10 and 20 configurations. From Lot 3 onward, Block 20 aircraft were raised to the Block 30 standard under the Common Configuration Plan, so that by 2020 the Block 30/35 fleet had grown to 149 aircraft while 37 remained at Block 20 on training duties. In 2017 Lockheed Martin proposed upgrading those 37 as well to increase the number available for combat, but the idea did not go ahead because of other budget priorities.