As far as I can tell, the F-22 was never intended for the Navy at all. It was specifically requested and paid for by the Air Force as an air superiority fighte

As far as I can tell, the F-22 was never intended for the Navy at all. It was specifically requested and paid for by the Air Force as an air superiority fighter with no real plans to ever retrofit it for use in carrier operations. Also, the F-22 is significantly larger than an F-18 (about 6 feet longer and 2 feet wider), making it a bit harder to cram a bunch of them into a carrier.