This flying ‘F-22 Raptor’ was built by children in Classes 4 to 8

The F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet built by Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force, widely regarded as one of the most technologically advanced aircraft ever built. It is designed for stealth, air superiority and supersonic speed, and aerospace companies typically spend years and billions of dollars developing aircraft in its class.

A flying model of that same aircraft was recently built not by an aerospace firm, but by students in Classes 4 to 8 at Composite Vidyalaya Bhilawali, a government school in Aligarh’s Akrabad block, Uttar Pradesh. The students used thermocol waste, toy motors, basic wires and simple electronics rather than expensive kits or imported materials, and the finished model reportedly flew up to 1.5 kilometres.

The total cost of the build came to approximately Rs 6,000. The project is part of Robotics Ki Pathshala, a grassroots STEM initiative that brings hands-on science and engineering education to government school students across Uttar Pradesh, working under the guidance of a teacher at the school who has encouraged students to experiment and build rather than simply memorise formulas.

The school has been gaining attention for robotics workshops that use scrap materials to engage students, turning packaging waste into tools for learning. The F-22 Raptor model, completed in March 2026, is the most attention-grabbing outcome of that programme to date, with the video of its flight viewed by millions online.

The achievement has been held up as proof that access to elite private schools or dedicated STEM labs is not a prerequisite for children to build and innovate, provided they have curiosity, basic materials and guidance.

Wikimedia Commons/by Scott Wolfe, U.S. Air Force (representational image of a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor in flight; not the actual student-built model)