[Murica] The first version of the F-22 Raptor flew 25 years ago

Hard to believe this plane is already getting old -- makes me feel really old.
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After the flight test demonstration and validation of the prototypes, on 23 April 1991, Secretary of the USAF Donald Rice announced the YF-22 as the winner of the ATF competition.[16] The YF-23 design was considered stealthier and faster while the YF-22 was more maneuverable.[17] The aviation press speculated that the YF-22 was also more adaptable to the U.S. Navy's Navalized Advanced Tactical Fighter (NATF), but by 1992, the Navy had abandoned NATF.[18]

The first F-22, an engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft named Raptor 4001, was unveiled at Marietta, Georgia on 9 April 1997, and first flew on 7 September 1997.[29] In 2006, the Raptor's development team, composed of over 1,000 contractors and the USAF, won the Collier Trophy, American aviation's most prestigious award.[30] The F-22 was in production for 15 years, at a rate of roughly two per month during peak production.[31]

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And it will remain the top fighter for the next 20 years -- a plane designed in the 80s... makes you wonder how insanely advanced the competitors for the 6th gen fighter contract are. No doubt they are flying right now, but are top secret.

 

You're definitely right on this -- but we will have manned fighters for a long time.