The F-22 Has Gone from Rolling Retirement To The USAF’s Top Priority
Eric Tegler
Mar 8, 2024,09:15am EST
Update: As of this morning there have been other interpretations of Andrew Hunter’s comments. The F-22 is a sensitive topic for the Air Force which is trying to satisfy competing constituencies which alternately want to divest of current platforms to free up funding for future manned/unmanned aircraft or which recognize the need for more combat power now.
Less than a year ago, the Air Force was asking to cut 32 early model F-22s from its meager 183-Raptor inventory. On Thursday, the fighter was dubbed its “highest priority”.
Referencing the pacing military competition with China at a McAleese Defense Programs conference in Washington DC on Thursday, Air Force acquisition chief, Andrew Hunter, said, “F-22 is a critical capability. So what’s my highest priority in the near term for that great power competition? I’d probably put F-22 at the top.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erictegler/2024/03/08/the-f-22-has-gone-from-rolling-retirement-to-the-usafs-top-priority/?sh=256a53c67d40
