The U.S. Air Force’s push to retire its remaining F-22 Raptor fighters may not come to fruition as the service reportedly has not secured a firm replacement for this fifth-generation platform.
This week, head of Air Combat Command Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, divulged that the service is likely to retain 32 Block 20 F-22 jets during a speaking event at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “I’m in favor of keeping the Block 20s,” he said. “They give us a lot of training value, and even if we had to—in an emergency—use the Block 20s in in a combat situation, they’re very capable.”
While the Air Force had previously been adamant that its upcoming Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter would replace the Raptor once introduced, budgetary issues appear to be muddying the future of the sixth-generation platform. In order to retain an aerial edge over its adversaries, the Air Force must keep its F-22s in service especially if NGAD is delayed.
The Air Force has been openly discussing its plans to retire its formidable Raptor platform from service for some time. When the F-22 was introduced to service in the early 2000’s, it represented the world’s first ever fifth-generation platform to fly the skies. In fact, the formidable fighter was the first aircraft to combine stealth, supermaneuverability and super cruise in a singular platform.
The jet is widely respected by military experts and aviation buffs alike. From a tiny radar cross-section, and fast speeds to armament-lugging capabilities and enhanced avionics, the Raptor is truly unmatched in the skies. However, the service has still opted to slowly wind down its use of the platform to make room for next-generation successors like NGAD. Last year, the Air Force argued that its remaining Block 20 Raptors were too pricey to maintain, and that the $500 million set for these fighters would be put to better use on the upcoming sixth-generation program.
What about NGAD?
NGAD reportedly represents a “family of systems” composed of a sixth-generation jet and a slew of highly autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones. The Air Force has divulged that it plans to develop at least 1,000 of these loyal wingmen UAVs to work cooperatively with the crewed fighters they will fly alongside.
While many exact specs and details surrounding NGAD remain highly classified, the new program is expected to feature a range of advanced sensors, networking and battle management capabilities among other emerging technologies.
As detailed by Air and Space Forces, the service’s 2025 budget “calls for more than $7 billion in improvements to the F-22 over the next five years—including new stealth wing tanks, infrared search-and-track systems and other upgrades—which makes little sense if the type is to be retired as soon as they are fielded.
Air Force officials have said that those technologies would have applicability to NGAD, however.”
The future of both the fleet’s remaining Raptors and plans for its sixth-generation successor remain murky at best.
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
All images are Creative Commons.
