Dave Majumdar
The United States Air Force is planning to keep the Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor in service though 2060. To that end, the service is funding a series of upgrades that will keep the powerful fifth-generation air superiority relevant for decades to come. Indeed, the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2018 budget request is a down payment towards that goal.
“We plan to retain the F-22 until the 2060 timeframe, meaning a sustained effort is required to counter advancing threats that specifically target its capabilities. The FY18 budget includes 624.5 million dollars in RDT&E and $398.5 million in procurement towards this goal,” Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, military deputy to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, and Lt. Gen. Jerry Harris, Air Force, deputy chief of staff for plans, programs and requirements, wrote in their written testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on June 7.As Tom McIntyre, a program analyst for F-22 requirements at Air Combat Command, told me earlier today, while the year 2060 came as a surprise to the Raptor community, the airframe will be structurally sound until at least that time.
“That came somewhat as a surprise to us,” McIntyre said. “We were not expecting 2060, but the F-22 program has a very robust structural integrity program known as ASIP (aircraft)
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/the-us-air-forces-stealth-f-22-raptor-will-fly-until-2060-21329
