About a year ago, the US Air Force was asking to cut a significant number of early model F-22s from its 183-Raptor inventory.

In 2023, the US Air Force lodged a plea to retire its fleet of 32 F-22 Raptor Block 20 units currently in operation. Furthermore, the USAF requested for the budget originally allocated for upgrading these planes to be rerouted into the development of the sixth-generation combat aircraft also referred to as the Next Generation Air Dominance [NGAD]. 

This proposal encountered a roadblock in Congress when discussed in the framework of the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act, a document that was published in December 2023.


But the US Air Force has now designated the Raptor as its “highest priority”.

Referring to the military competition with China at a McAleese Defense Programs conference in Washington DC, US 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.”

Hunter's statements indicate the possibility of retaining and upgrading an undisclosed quantity of the older F-22s manufactured by Lockheed Martin during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin offered a comment on upgrading older F-22s, saying “we’re looking to be able to take those that are the most combat-capable, keep them in the fight, and then leverage some of the resources for those that are going to be cost prohibitive and time prohibitive.”

In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why the F-22 is still considered the “highest priority” in a potential conflict with China ?

#defenseupdates #F22 #usairforce

Chapters:
00:11 INTRODUCTION
02:59 EXCELLENT FLIGHT DYNAMICS
04:19 SUPER SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
06:27 GENUINE STEALTH PROFILE

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▶️ Narration by Scott Leffler (scottleffler.com)

🎵 Background Music courtesy of incompetech.com
"Giant Wyrm" Kevin MacLeod (Licensed under Creative Commons)