“Our fighters and bombers will all have stealth technology and the STOVAL model that the Marines and Navy will use, gives it Harrier capability to take off and land vertically. I believe the Marine Corps was never even interested in the F-22 and only wanted the F-35.”
The F-35 has mainly frontal stealth, whereas the F-22 is stealthy from all angles. The Raptor has far greater air-to-air capabilities and range, which the Marines don’t need but the Navy could sure use.
The F-22 is intended to be the F-15 to the F-35’s role as the new F-16. We don’t need air superiority fighting the Taliban, but we might well need it against the ChiComs or other modern adversaries. (Hey, if the dollar collapses, all bets are off as to China being our “friend”.)
“We don’t need air superiority fighting the Taliban, but we might well need it against the ChiComs or other modern adversaries.”
I say forget conventional war against the Chinese—go straight for the nuclear annihilation.