-After 9/11, strategy shifted from peer-air-superiority to expeditionary ops, weakening the case for a huge Raptor fleet as the multirole, export-friendly F-35 gained priority. Why Did the Air Force Stop At 186 F-22 Raptors? F-22 Raptor CostAmong the most decisive factors behind the end of the F-22 program was cost. CongressCongress also played a decisive role in curtailing the F-22 program, and it did so based on the above reasoning. …And MoreAmong the plethora of reasons the F-22 program was finally wound down was an export ban.