The F-22 Raptor is built by Lockheed Martin and is one of the most advanced fighter jets on the planet. However, it's easy to forget that this plane is nearly 30 years old with the first F-22 Raptor taking to the air on September 7, 1997. This maiden flight of the first F-22 — known as Raptor 4001 — signified the dawn of a new generation of maneuverable and stealthy jet fighters. The program was canceled in 2008 as a result of the changing political landscape, culminating in the collapse of the Soviet Union. By this point, there had been 195 of the planes built, of which 187 were destined to enter service.

However, despite its age, much of the technology used in the plane remains a highly guarded secret, including the cockpit's interior. Only recently have we begun to get some idea of what the F-22's cockpit really looks like.

For F-22 pilots, the cockpit of the jet will look like just another day in the office. For the rest of us mere mortals, it's a place of high-tech wizardry hidden behind a veil of secrecy. Let's see if we can lift that veil a little and have a peek inside the cockpit of an F-22 Raptor.

The detail of the cockpit that's immediately striking isn't the inner workings but rather the F-22 Raptor's gold canopy. This is part of the plane's fifth-generation stealth package as the shape and materials used in the canopy are designed to scatter radar waves. It's the largest piece of high-quality (Zone 1) polycarbonate in the world and the first canopy compatible with night-vision goggles. Once you step inside the cockpit, the first thing you'll notice is a lack of dials.