Replies

We didn’t make enough, and Obama had the machinery that made them destroyed.

So we cannot enhance our F-22 fleet with the same airframe.

There was a cost study done a few years back concerning the costs and feasibility of restarting F-22 production. In the report, it was stated that 95% of the tooling was still ready to use (though mothballed) and the remaining 5% was in need of repair or refurbishment. The bigger issue is production facilities now occupied with other projects. Cost estimates were high, though nowhere near the likely costs of a new, even more complex design.

The way things are going, we would be well-advised to offer the Raptor as an export to select allies and have them chip in on the non-recurring startup costs. Australia and Japan have both expressed interest (but I'm sure the Chinese have all the congressional support they need to prevent such a project coming to life).