Pentagon Budget 2026: USAF budget adds new F-22 sensor and drop tank details

An F-22 Raptor takes off from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, 5 June 2025. The F-22 is set to receive new survivability and lethality capabilities in the FY 2026 USAF budget request. (US Air Force)

Fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget documents from the US Air Force (USAF), released on or about 1 July, add detail to upcoming capability enhancements for the Lockheed Martin F-22.

F-22 sensor upgrades are divided into two programmes: the Infrared Defensive System (IRDS), intended to enhance missile warning, and a general Sensor Enhancement programme that provides long-range target acquisition. An additional programme procures low-drag tanks and pylons (LDTPs).

IRDS, a Lockheed Martin-built system announced in January, adds infrared sensors around the F-22. The sensors are intended to replace the F-22's onboard missile launch detection system and are designed to detect long-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, according to the USAF's FY 2026 acquisition documents. Development of IRDS began in FY 2024, said the document, and a low-rate initial production (LRIP) decision is scheduled for the fourth quarter (Q4) of FY 2026. The Trump administration is requesting USD90.3 million total for the ‘Viability' programme that includes IRDS.