All those billions and the F-22 falls short in an encounter with a Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bomber and Su-35 fighters.
Why? Because the Russian fighter is more maneuverable. Only the superior training of American pilots give the F-22 a chance.
But with today's rules of engagement, the F-22's huge advantages in stealth mean little.
During an intercept, a jet pulls up next to the plane that has invaded its airspace and tells the plane, via radio, some version of "turn around, or this will escalate."
At this time, it's customary for the jet to tilt its wings and show the intruder a wing full of missiles. But the F-22 could never do that; because of its stealth design, the F-22 stores all missiles and bombs internally.
A pilot intruding into US or US-protected airspace who meets an F-22 really has no idea whether the jet is armed. The Russian Su-35 holds more missiles than the F-22, and it holds them where everyone can see.
On top of that, if a routine interception were to turn kinetic, the F-22 would start the battle at a huge disadvantage.
Much more @ US F-22s came face-to-face with Russia's top fighter near Alaska and were at a major disadvantage