For more than 20 years, the F-22 Raptor was the pinnacle of the US Air Force—a stealth fighter with amazing agility that could dominate the sky. Conceptualized during the late period of the Cold War and being the first true fifth-generation fighter to be inducted, it was the first one to combine the three virtues of the fighter jet: speed, manoeuvrability, and the latest technology.
But with the jet growing older, the Air Force now has some uncomfortable choices to make: does it keep investing money in upgrade cycles, or start thinking about its eventual retirement?
The Raptor’s biggest strength is also its weakness. Built primarily for air-to-air combat, it is an excellent dogfighter and air superiority fighter, but not necessarily a very multi-capable role aircraft. Stealth requires that all of the guns and most of the sensors be relocated inboard, which compresses payload capacity.
Add weight-down missiles or bombs on the outside, and the aircraft gives up the very stealth that so effectively works. Thu, the old planes like the F-15 are used for missions where there is a need for greater firepower or stealth becomes unnecessary.
It is difficult to modernize the F-22. Its avionics are based on old parts, so it is difficult and expensive to add new technology. Replacing its stealth coating and composite panels takes skilled labor, which incurs expense and downtime.
Cost is one of the major reasons the Air Force is considering the retirement of some part of the fleet. Officials have indicated that they would retire 32 Block 20 Raptors—training planes with old sensors, weapons, and electronic warfare systems. Upgrading these planes to the point of full combat capability would take close to a decade and some $3.5 billion, money that could be invested in supporting newer platforms.
Shuffling funds around would advance projects like the F-35 and Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter. The offer has not been without its critics, however. Members of Congress have questioned why relatively young airframes would be retired and requested studies on how practical it would be to keep using them. This is reflective of a larger issue: The U.S. fighter fleet is shrinking and aging, and that leaves readiness for high-end combat in question.
The F-22 is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon in spite of the talks. The Air Force is still pumping a lot of money into the F-22, which includes various upgrades such as extended range, better sensors, stealthy fuel tanks, new electronic warfare systems, and advanced communications. Their goal is to bring the F-22 up to par with being able to compete until another one can really replace it.
Indeed, that replacement will be from the NGAD project, which refers to the sixth-generation fighter initiative that aims to surpass existing ones. The NGAD already did one of its flight tests on a test article, with the production contracts being worked on. The program is under criticism for costs and affordability, with estimates varying as much as $300 million per aircraft.
Right now, the Raptor is an isolated player. The delay or funding issue with NGAD would mean longer-than-expected flying of upgraded F-22s and F-15EX fighters. On the other hand, the technological edge that the U.S. has been enjoying for decades is narrowing due to the development of advanced stealth aircraft and longer-range missiles by other countries.
The F-22 dispute is not a relevance dispute; it is a strategy dispute. It is a question of the method of keeping air superiority at all times, as well as wisely investing in the aircraft of the future. What American airpower will be in the next two years is going to be the deciding factor for the following several decades.