Eligible Raptor Sign Production Line Again?

F-22 Raptor

Some time ago the House Armed Services Committee's (HASC) or the Senate Armed Services Committee the United States received a lot of attention and press coverage the mainstream when they directed the US Air Force to investigate and provide a report on January 1, 2017 about the expenses required to restart production lines F- 22 Raptor.

Since the premature termination of Raptor production line in 2011, many military and civilian leaders have derided the decision. HASC seems to have given the Air Force a chance to reverse that decision. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to suspend production at only 187 operational airframes. Of that number, 183 remain in service.

In 1991 the Air Force chose Lockheed F-22 as the winner of the Advanced Tactical Fighter by defeating Northrup / McDonnell F-23. The program was originally designed to produce 749 aircraft to replace the F-15C Eagle. In 1997, Congress cut the F-22 program, limiting the production of only 339 airframes. In 2003, the number was revised to 381.

Cost overruns and production delays make the F-22 became a political target, and in 2009, Secretary of Defense Gates close the F-22 production line. The last of 187 Raptor comes off the assembly line Lockheed-Martin in Marietta, Georgia in 2011. The line was closed and all the gear and the excess material deposited to anticipate future need to restart the production line.

WHY ARE PRODUCED F-22 NEED MORE?

One of the reasons why the F-22 needs to be produced again is a map of the environment Anti-Access / Area Denial (A2 / AD), which continues to grow rapidly. Russia and China recently has demonstrated the ability to rapidly deploy A2 / AD 'mini' to regional hotspot.

After acquiring the Crimean Peninsula, Russia quickly deployed air defense systems S-300 and Flanker fighter jets to the Peninsula. This deployment creates an environment A2 / AD in the Black Sea that might have been designed to prevent the US and its allies engage militarily in the region. (To understand more about what the A2 / AD and importance in the war strategy please see: How Important Area Denial in the War? ) 

In 2015, the Russians sent their forces into Syria to conduct air operations. When the shooting down Turkish fighter jet bomber Su-24 Russia, Moscow could quickly deploy S-400 defense systems to Damascus. Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, General Philip Breedlove stated this deployment is Russia's efforts to build an environment A2 / AD in Syria.

Beginning in 2016, multi-national tensions in the South China Sea has increased dramatically after China deployed air defense systems HQ-9 to Woody Island, a small land in the Paracel Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Just a few months later after the deployment of the HQ-9, the Department of Defense (DoD) sent 16 J-11B fighter aircraft to the island, deployment unprecedented in terms of numbers.

Russia and China have demonstrated a willingness and ability to rapidly deploy advanced fighter aircraft and surface to air missile systems to the area they want to restrict access, or prevent freedom of US operations.

Environmental developments A2 / AD continues to breed in Russia and China. Both countries have shown willingness to export their advanced military hardware to countries that are not friendly to the United States. This April, Iran showed off the S-300 components that are part of the S-300 is first sent Russia. US military planners can no longer think of A2 / AD as a peripheral threat because the situation is popping up all over the world.

Campaign planners should make survivability in an environment of A2 / AD be a top priority in their planning efforts. Under these conditions the F-22 can deliver huge dividends.

WHAT WAR IN THE ENVIRONMENT F-22 A2 / AD

What makes the F-22 is suitable to operate and survive in the environment A2 / AD? From the beginning, the F-22 is built with stealth capabilities, these aircraft are designed to fly high and fast, and difficult to detect radar and air defense missile systems. In addition, the aircraft uses avionics suite that is reportedly capable of actively and passively locate, identify and geolocating threats on land and in the air.

Stealth and sensor give Raptor situational awareness that has never had before in the battlespace, and the ability of ground attack that is inherent when raised upgrade Increment 3.1 has provided F-22 capabilities unequaled in the jet tempuru other to survive in the environment A2 / AD.

In addition to its own capabilities, Raptor act as a force multiplier for other aircraft. In 2015, the US Air Combat Command Commander, Gen. Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, spoke about the role of the F-22 as quarterback air. Using the information gathered then gives a thorough overview of air to another plane.

"The F-22 could take the information from all the people, [F-22] is unbelievably good to make sure other aircraft aware of what's around them and in cases where they need, directing them so that they stay out of any potential threat. "

The F-22 is designed to operate in environments A2 / AD, and Air Force leaders have raved about the performance of this platform in Syria when the first time the US air force to operate in an environment A2 / AD. Why does the US need additional F-22, considering the F-35 is being built in large numbers? Is the F-35 is not designed specifically to survive in the environment A2 / AD? F-35 built a generation after the F-22 and has a lot of stealth and sensor fusion capabilities than the F-22 is built in the initial design.

That said, the Lightning II does not have the maneuverability, speed and altitude of more than F-22, and was not able to bring as much internal missiles F-22. The aircraft is always designed to be complementary in combination "high-low", such as the symbiotic relationship of the F-15C and F-16.

The US should keep the F-35 procurement. It is essential for the re-capitalization of the front-line fighter fleet of the Air Force. However, a mixture of the best planned will not meet the requirements of future contingencies. Of the 183 Raptor is operational now only 123 fighter who has the code. It is not enough to provide the protection of air dominance for some attack packets required in any large-scale conflicts

MONEY FROM WHERE?

Opening the F-22 production line more clearly will not be cheap. The Air Force has been given seven months to menghitugn the exact number, but Fortune magazine make it count quickly noting that buying nearly 200 more F-22 will membuthkan cost more than doubled from US $ 17 billion [fees for 194 F-22 when the line is stopped in 2011].

Using count Fortune of US $ 35 billion as a basis, one can quickly see the big problem of where to find the funds for it to produce more Raptor in the quantities required by the Air Force.

Assuming HASC recommend reopening Raptor production line, and the Congress and the next president may approve a budget to fund the process, the production of the F-22 will begin the road in early 2020. Remember, at the same time B-21, F-35 and KC-46 Pegasus will enter the high-level production.

Throw in the fact that the USAF trying to recapitalize the fleet of E-8 JSTARS and EC-130 Compass Call, and build new combat trainer, tough choices have to be made if the decision to reopen the Raptor path taken, should be a tough budget sacrifice.

There are three steps that might help to find money to build more Raptor. The first slow procurement of the F-35A for the USAF and continue to defuse any increase in price per unit of the F-35A deliveries to international customers. Accelerate the delivery of foreign F-35A F-35A ensures the number of production lines Lockheed-Martin remain consistent with current projections, the cost per unit prevent spikes that can frighten and endanger international customers total purchase the 1763 USAF F-35A aircraft.

Second, the US should allow export of the F-22 for their closest allies. Sure condition should emncabut laws that prohibit the sale of F-22s to another country. So far Japan, Australia and Israel are eager to have the Raptor. Sales to foreigners can help to reduce costs.

The third is mempensiun F-15C on a scale of 1: 1 with the new F-22, which reached operational status. It would be painful for the US Air Force is keeping in Eagle air superiority fighter of the most successful in history (with a kill ratio of 104: 0). However, theoretically when the F-22B reached operational status youngest F-15C will already over 50 years old and ready to retire from duty.

But these three steps do not guarantee to pay 194 Raptor, while the Air Force also had to pay off the 80-100 bomber B-21 and 1,763 F-35. But again this is a difficult choice. F-22 is very important to keep the Air Force could survive and defeat emerging threats and the environment A2 / AD for at least the next two decades.

Source: War is Boring

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