How Many Miles Per Gallon Does An F-22 Raptor Actually Get In Supercruise?

Simple Flying

A Lockheed MartinF-22 Raptor in supercruise gets roughly 0.30 to 0.37 miles per gallon (0.127 to 0.157 kilometers per liter). That number sounds terrible until you ask what any other operational fighter burns to achieve the same speed: approximately 0.11 to 0.13 miles per gallon (0.047 to 0.055 kilometers per liter), using an afterburner. That figure comes from its confirmed internal fuel load of 18,000 lb (8,165 kg), or about 2,687 US gallons, and an estimated burn rate of 0.045 to 0.055 miles per lb of fuel at around Mach 1.5. But the Raptor is covering those miles at nearly 990 miles per hour (1,593 km per hour) and, crucially, it is doing so without afterburner. That distinction is what makes the number strategically meaningful, and it is the core of what this article explains.

​Read More