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And the brunt of the load will continue to be carried by Los Angeles class subs since they aren't building the new Virginia class at nearly the rate the old boats are being retired. Are we looking at the same issue with the Raptor?

Not really. Even with worse-case attrition we'll probably always have at least 150 Raptors. For the last decade or so we've had less than 100 B-1Bs, B-52s, F-117s (which, admittedly, used a lot of off-the-shelf parts), E-2s/C-2s, EA-6Bs and the like. We have only 20 B-2As. So it's not really an apples/apples comparison - we (USA) have LOTS of experience operating what could be considered "silver bullet" aircraft inventories.

The issue that arises is whether the alternative ends up being less expensive. The Seawolfs were never intended to be a true "replacement" for the entire LA class, but more of a compliment/partial replacement. When the Seawolfs turned out to be so "expensive" a decision was made to truncate the class at three (Seawolf, Connecticut and their half-sister Carter) and move to a cheaper design, the NSSN which is now entering service in numbers as the Virginia Class.

Yet the VA Class isn't all that much cheaper, even when inflation is factored in and certainly when development costs are factored in as well, than the Seawolfs. Would the US have been better off just continuing with the Seawolf class, which would have resulted in more in-service boats - today - than Seawolf + VA classes combined?

The "alternative" to the F-22 may be longer in-service dates for the F-15 in the interim, but in the long-term it's the F-35. From a multi-role perspective, the F-35 is the be better aircraft, since for air2ground it can carry 2000lb class weapons internally (the F-22 can only carry up to 1000lb class weapons). But it'll definitely be inferior from a pure air2air perspective. And my guess is that even built in numbers (over 2000 are planned) it'll end up being pretty close to the F-22 on a flyaway cost basis.

Personally, I think the solution to this is to export the F-22 to a limited number of allies. Specifically Japan (which is practically begging for them) and Australia (which has expressed an interest). Not only would that get more aircraft out there, but into the hands of allies that are facing the most-likely common threat that the F-22 would face (ChiComs), the USAF can then do what it has done with the F-15E (which had its procurement capped at a relatively low number as well) ... tack additional aircraft onto the foreign orders in order to further grow the force.

The Seawolfs were never intended to be a true "replacement" for the entire LA class, but more of a compliment/partial replacement.

The Seawolf was a bridge to the Virginia class. The Seawolf is the last of the cold war systems. The Virginia was supposed to be the post cold war system - smaller, cheaper, slower, deeper. Unfortunately what was on the original drawing board got bigger and more complex each step to the contract being signed. At the same time the Virginia was being designed we were accelerating the decommissioning. The USS Baltimore was only in service 16 years and it's reactor was at the most reactive time in core life when it went to the yard.

Thanks for the info on the F-22 and F-35.