In a strategic gambit to maintain air dominance, the United States Air Force is laying out plans to modernize its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors, bolstering the “foundation” of American airpower amid intensifying competition.
Against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions and technological advancements, the F-22 is seen as a critical asset to be preserved until the advent of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.
Andrew P. Hunter, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, delineated the F-22’s central role in ensuring U.S. air superiority.
“I’d probably put F-22 at the top,” Hunter stated regarding his near-term priorities for great power competition.
Recognizing the Raptor’s “critical capability,” the Air Force has decided to reallocate funds from retiring older Block 20 jets towards the development of the NGAD system, a cutting-edge endeavor that promises to usher in sixth-generation fighter capabilities, complete with a fleet of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs).
The NGAD program, set to run up a bill of around $28.5 billion between fiscal years 2025-2029, is poised to be a game-changer, featuring over a thousand CCAs to augment the new airframe’s combat efficacy.
Secretary Frank Kendall revealed the service’s ambition to have these CCAs combat-ready by 2028.
Amid these future-focused plans, the Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin underscored the ongoing necessity of keeping the F-22 fleet “viable and relevant against the threat until Next Generation Air Dominance enters service.”
Reports indicate that the Air Force is set to invest over $9 billion in upgrading the existing fleet of F-22 Raptors by the end of the decade.
The upgrades will involve the integration of stealthy external fuel tanks for enhanced range, new sensors, and internal pods, as well as enhancements to the fighters’ stealth features.
These improvements are critical to ensure that the Raptor remains the tip of the spear in air-to-air confrontations, particularly against sophisticated threats from adversaries.
According to budget justification documents for the F-22, the procurement activities scheduled over the next five years will aim to upgrade “the air vehicle, engine, Operational Flight Program (OFP), and training systems to enhance F-22 weapons, communications, navigation, pilot-vehicle interface, and electronic warfare suite.”
The documents list updates in which the Air Force plans to outfit the F-22 with stealthy, range-extending drop tanks, infrared sensors, enhancements in identification, friend-or-foe systems, improved Link 16 connectivity, software upgrades, electronic warfare and navigation improvements, as well as new weapons and hardware modifications to enhance reliability and availability.
The Air Force appears to be reconsidering its decision to begin phasing out the F-22 around 2030, as evidenced by its budget projections for the air dominance fighter extending well beyond that timeframe, as outlined in the service’s fiscal 2025 budget request.
The budget includes substantial investments in research, development, test, and evaluation, with procurement set to continue “to completion,” signaling that retirement of the F-22 around 2030 is increasingly unlikely.
Relevant articles:
– F-22 Raptor: The Fighter Jet the Air Force Needs Until NGAD Flies, The National Interest
– NGAD 6th Generation Fighter Will Replace F-22 Raptor. It Won’t Come Cheap, nationalinterest.org
– F-22 Retirement in 2030 Unlikely as USAF Looks to Spend $7.8 Billion on It Before Then, Air & Space Forces Magazine
– NGAD Means the F-22 Raptor Fighter Must Fly Into the History Books, The National Interest