Before the F-35 – after 20 years and more than 500 Lightning IIs delivered, the Pentagon still can’t say when its “test phase” will end – the F-22A was the most expensive and most powerful tactical fighter jet in the world. Now the Lockheed Martin offspring is getting an update worth billions.
When it comes to air superiority, even today no jet can beat the F-22A. During a “Red Flag” exercise, Typhoons and F-22As were part of the “Blue Force”, which also consisted of Japanese F-15MJs and Polish and American F-16s. The aggressor squadrons were led by F-16CMs simulating Russian Su-27s, Su-30s and Chinese J-10s. During the complex exercise, which included offensive and defensive missions as well as combat against S-75, S-125 Neva, 2K12 Kub, 9K33 Osa, S-300P, 9K37 Buk, 9K330 Tor ground air defenses and covering the rescue of a “downed” Polish pilot, the “Blue Force” achieved an impressive 38:1 kill ratio, mainly thanks to the performance of the F-22A. In view of the technology installed at the time (the CIP, for example, consists of 66 individual computer units based on the Intel 960 processor and the delicate RAM surface coating is designed more for high absorption performance and large bandwidths than for durability), increasing investments and updates are necessary to ensure that the balance of power remains the same. After all, the contract for the YF-22 was awarded to Northrop’s YF-23 on April 23, 1991, and the last F-22 built rolled off the assembly line in Marietta, Georgia, on December 13, 2011, with tail no. 4195, and was transferred to the 525th Fighter Squadron in Elmendorf, Alaska, in May 2012. The original plan was to produce over 700 units, but with a unit cost of around 170 million euros, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates ended production at 186 units in 2009. In his defense: There was no talk of Su-57s or J-20s at the time. A few years ago, however, the discussion about a resumption of F-22A production – which was ultimately not deemed feasible or sensible – came up again (see report). Ultimately, however, the high production costs argued against restarting Raptor production. 
A further 15 billion euros required
Now, the Pentagon’s support contract with Lockheed-Martin from 2019, which was worth around six billion euros, will have to be increased by more than 15 billion euros for obsolescence reasons. That’s more than 80 million euros per aircraft – more than modern fighter jets cost new today. The whole thing is called ARES (“Advanced Raptor Enhancement and Sustainment”) and includes – as it says in a recent press release – “modernization hardware kit procurement”, “services such as upgrades, enhancements and fixes”, “performance-based logistics services” and much more. Bridging to the so-called NGAD
According to USAF General Clinton Hinote (Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Criteria) in an interview with Air Forces Times, the “Raptor Enhancement, Development and Integration II” (REDI II) contract is intended to “bridge” the F-22A to the 6th generation NGAD, which is supposedly already being flown as a test carrier. As a result, the NGAD, which has supposedly already flown as a test vehicle (Militär Aktuell reported) is to form the US spearhead.
Nobody gets them
Several close allies of the USA have in the past or would still be interested in new F-22As, above all the UK, Japan, Israel and Australia. “However, under the 1998 Obey Amendment, Raptors will not be released for export – to anyone. At the time, Congressman David Obey ensured that the sensitive technologies remained in the USA – out of concern that they could be “captured” by Russian or Chinese services from users abroad. Although this is partly outdated today, it is still the case.
Incidentally, thanks to a cooperation with the US military, the F-22A aircraft in all three “Transformers” films were real and not created using computer animation.
Here for further reports on Lockheed-Martin.
