Thermocol, toy motors, Rs 6,000: the Raptor model that stunned India

Thermocol waste, toy motors, basic wires and simple electronics: that is the full parts list behind a flying model of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter that has been viewed by millions online. The total cost of the build came to approximately Rs 6,000, and it was assembled not in an aerospace workshop but at a government school in Aligarh’s Akrabad block, Uttar Pradesh.

The builders were students in Classes 4 to 8 at Composite Vidyalaya Bhilawali. They had no 3D printers, no imported robotics kits and no dedicated laboratory. What they had was packaging thermocol usually destined for the bin, toy motors bought locally, and guidance from a teacher at the school who encouraged them to experiment rather than only study theory. The finished model reportedly flew up to 1.5 kilometres.

The F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet built by Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force, considered one of the most advanced aircraft ever built and designed for stealth, air superiority and supersonic speed. Engineering a scaled, flying version of it from scrap materials on a shoestring budget is what drove the story’s viral spread.

The project falls under Robotics Ki Pathshala, a grassroots initiative bringing hands-on science and engineering education to government school students across Uttar Pradesh. The programme is built on the idea that children learn science best by building things themselves, and the Aligarh school has drawn attention for robotics workshops that turn scrap into learning tools.

Completed in March 2026, the F-22 Raptor build is described as the most spectacular result yet from a school with no laboratories, no imported equipment and children who walk miles to attend class each day.

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)