Here’s The F-22 Production Restart Study The USAF Has Kept Secret For Over A Year

The War Zone ^ | May 4, 2018 | By Tyler Rogoway and Joseph Trevithick

[PIF]

We finally see the study that was oddly classified on arrival and it has new relevance based on Japan's desire for a new stealth fighter.

Finally, in early 2016, the debate surrounding the need for more F-22s came to a head and study was mandated by Congress for the USAF to research what putting the super-fighter back into production would take. That study was finished in late 2016 with some of its findings openly discussed, but the document itself remained classified, until now.

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The total procurement cost would be between $40 and $42 billion, with the entire program costing a little more than $50.3 billion.

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But if another country, say Japan, were willing to pay for the non-recurring restart costs, the Pentagon would be crazy not to buy more Raptors for largely their unit cost alone as well as plenty of spare parts to support the fleet efficiently for decades to come.

[SpirituTuo]

Is it possible this aircraft is designed and operated differently than an F-16? Any new aircraft, and program, is going to have problems. The F-22 was designed to be the dogfighter. The F-35 was designed to shoot from a great distance, as well as get in to difficult locations, like the F-117. Its sensor and network capability has proven great benefit, and during a recent exercise, the other pilots requested it remain on station, dry, just so they could use its sensors.

[Mariner]

“An F-18 has a far better targeting pod, not even close.”

You’re talking about RADAR?

Not only does the F-35 have the best RADAR in the world, nothing else is even close:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/APG-81

When augmented by the AN/AAq-37 DAS, the F-35 is the most capable and advanced tactical strike aircraft in the world, BAR NONE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/AAQ-37

You, sir, with all due respect (sincerely) need more study.

[Robert A Cook PE]

F22 always was a higher capability fighter than the slower, less capacity, less range F35. Still is.

[clearcarbon]

I think a restart program should prioritize F-22 components most desired as spare parts.

[Bulwyf]

You mean the f-35 has WiFi? Heh.

[DAC21]

We had one of these bad boys flying low and fast over the house about three years ago for the Chino CA. Air show. Awesome! Today started the 2018 two day Show...we had the A-10 showing off. Very cool especially the final Heritage flight with the A-10, P-38 and Mustang in formation.

[Svartalfiar]

"A far better aircraft than the F-35."
F-22 is air superiority. F-35 is ground attack. It's like saying this screwdriver if far better than this socket wrench.

As a Scout, I'd much rather have an A-10 hanging out with me than an F-35 making maybe two flybys and that's it.

[slowhandluke]

Like the atomic secrets at Los Alamos, things do find their way to enemies if the bigwigs want them to.

[Steve Van Doorn]

"the Air Force destroyed the tooling used to create the F-22 in order to deliberately make it uneconomical to build more"

After production is complete shouldn't the military hold the tooling?

[BwanaNdege]

“I would also like to see an “E” model version that was focused on cruise missile strike. “

https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/why-boeings-design-for-a-747-full-of-cruise-missiles-ma-1605150371

“Why Boeing’s Design For A 747 Full Of Cruise Missiles Makes Total Sense”

[maddog55]

F-35 has air-to-air, air-to-ground (fails miserably at both) and ISR capabilities.

F-22 is far better at air-to-air but also has air-to-ground capabilities.

Either way the F-22 is a better aircraft.

A-10 is better at air-to-ground anyway and far cheaper to operate.

FYI a screwdriver is far better than a socket if all you have is screws and then it becomes which screwdriver do you use.

[binreadin]

Someone very close to me worked in the military weapons procurement field for DoD. They found against Lockheed Martin in a bid proposal evaluation. They were then hauled into a meeting where the Lockheed Martin rep subjected them to a threatening, screaming, verbal tirade. Seems that Lockheed Martin is so closely integrated into our defense that they get to call the shots. Too big to fail. The contract went to Lockheed Martin.

[Tallguy]

The “Prime Parts” of every advanced fighter are the Radar and Avionics. A “B-Model” F-22 would be effectively a different airplane, but would also allow an upgrade path to the existing “A-Models”.

If you think you are going to war, or are quickly expanding your fleet, you buy what’s effectively in the pipeline. What you don’t do is issue a blank check to Lockheed-Martin (or anybody else) to take another 15 years to engineer something before you start fielding new squadrons.

The B-1, M1 Tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle were all developed during the Carter years. Carter wouldn’t pull the trigger for production... Reagan did.

[Tallguy]

The F-35 is an excellent BVR “shooter”. It’s a whole different theory. The fear is that advanced all-aspect Russian missiles, nobody wants to get into a “Turn and Burn” engagement with a Sukhoi’s that can shoot you with a high off-bore missile. You zap that plane from a distance, before he even see’s you. The F-22 would do the same thing, but it has the agility to go toe-to-toe in case the new theory is wrong.

[Tallguy]

With all due respect, your info is very old. F-16 pilots are beating down the doors for a chance to get into an F-35.

[Psalm 73]

"a screwdriver is far better than a socket if all you have is screws and then it becomes which screwdriver do you use."

Agree. Every analogy breaks down somewhere.
I will admit, though, falling in love with the F-22 when I first saw them on Okinawa during their 1st overseas deployment.
Would watch them dog-fight Kadena's F-15s and just get blown away by their turn radius.
Besides capability, it's just a flat-out pretty aircraft.