Now it's official: “In light of the growing perception that the US military is losing its technological advantage against Russia and China, Congress expresses keen interest in restarting the line. Raptor and commissioned a special study to assess its feasibility ”.
Five years after the closure of the F-22 line, the first fifth-generation operational fighter for which the term “aerial domination” was coined, the unthinkable could happen (at least until a few months ago). What has been officially launched is a study for the feasibility of the reopening of the line Raptor and the consequent economic impact.
“The suspension of the F-22 Raptor production of only 187 units was one of the stupidest decisions in the field of military procurement of the last decades, now nobody denies it anymore”. This is what Air Force Secretary Deborah James (photo) said last January.
"The original plan was to produce quite a bit of F-22. Unfortunately, a series of regrettable circumstances and budget overruns anticipated the conclusion of the program. We just pulled the plug and closed the production line. Now let's focus on the F-35, even if it never does what it guarantees Raptor".
We know that the entire production line was not cannibalized, but kept in storage as well as all the projects. The Obama administration has never feared this possibility, granting only the necessary upgrades (not without difficulty) for the only fifth generation fighter in service in the world to date.
We were optimistic - reads the Air Force report presented last March to the Senate Armed Services Commission - perhaps too much, but we were convinced that for a reasonable number of years, no country had been able to develop next-generation platforms. Unfortunately, the Russians and the Chinese did it in half the time than we had assumed.
A 2010 study commissioned by the Air Force to the RAND Corporation estimated for 75 new ones Raptor, an expense of $ 17 billion. The new study for the Congressional Defense Committees is due to be delivered by January XNUMX.
The official note reads: "In light of a growing threat to US air superiority, of adversaries that have now narrowed the technology gap, of the constant demand from allies for high-performance platforms and the worsening of threats to global security, it is considered necessary to further investigate the proposal ".
The only air-dominated fighter on the planet, the F-22 Raptor, was built in just 186 units, but only 123 are converted to combat. The rest of the fighters are classified as inventory machines, intended for test activities or out of service. To date, considering the current threats and the contexts where the presence of a fifth generation platform is necessary, the Air Force would need at least 382 Raptor.
The question is purely numerical: the first fighter in the world for which the term "aerial dominion" was coined, cannot be everywhere. The United States has six F-22 operational squadrons, but these are undersized compared to other combat units. The standard American squadron is based on 24 aircraft (F-16 or F15) PAA or Primary Authorized Aircraft and two in inventory BAI O Backup Aircraft Inventory. The five squadrons Raptor fighters have online 21 aircraft plus two in BAI. The only squadron Raptor of the National Guard, based in Hickam, Hawaii, is composed of eighteen F-22 and two in inventory. The situation becomes even more dramatic considering that theAir Force Weapons School, in Nellis, has only thirteen Raptor for certification. Despite this, the Raptor it is still the best fighter in the world, although in a large-scale comparison, it would pay dearly for its meager numbers. Without considering, finally, that some AIM-120s may not even hit the target in an era in which active electronic warfare is making great strides.
The only real enemy of the Raptor it is therefore numeric: i Raptor from fights are 123. However, the story may change soon.
(photo: Lockheed Martin, US Air Force, US DoD)
