Military doesn’t want the F-22, the politicians want the F-22
By Boyko Nikolov on December 10, 2023
For two consecutive years, the U.S. Air Force has aimed to retire a portion of the F-22 Raptor fighter jets, but their efforts have been stymied by Congress. At first blush, this might seem at odds with regular logic – the military advocating for reductions in armament, while lawmakers push to keep them in service. But the complex truth lies in the turbulent history of the fighter jet.
The U.S. decided to construct a cutting-edge, fifth-generation air superiority fighter during the brink of a brewing conflict with the USSR in the 1980s. It wasn’t until 1990 that the YF-22A prototype first took to the skies, by which time the projected need for 750 units for the Air Force, alongside an additional 550 for the US Navy, seemed unlikely.
But with the development costs soaring to an eye-watering 70 billion dollars, there was no option except to go ahead with the production of the aircraft. However, only the Air Force got the new jet. The Navy, in contrast, opted to upgrade the F/A-18F/E Super Hornet. Instead of the proposed 750 jets, the Air Force ended up with a mere 187 F-22s due to progressive cutbacks.
The early versions of the fighter, known as Block 10, lacked advanced functionalities and the ability to employ precision ground-strike weaponry, which was a prerequisite for 4+ generation aircraft. The Block 20 units were without an upgraded AN/APG-77[V] radar 1, hindering the detection of ground targets. It wasn’t until the Block 30 production in 2006-2007, that the jet obtained full functionality, and production ceased altogether in 2011.
https://bulgarianmilitary.com/amp/2023/12/10/military-doesnt-want-the-f-22-the-politicians-want-the-f-22/
