Free Republic

While the U.S. F-35 and F-22 may be qualitatively superior, China’s ability to mass-produce its J-20 stealth fighter presents a grave quantitative threat. China’s “offset strategy with Chinese characteristics” focuses on overwhelming the limited number of American fifth-generation jets with a massive fleet of J-20s.

The U.S. Air Force’s plan to procure “at least 100” B-21 Raider stealth bombers is dangerously insufficient for an era of simultaneous great-power competition with Russia and China. Credible deterrent and the ability to fight a protracted, two-theater war requires a much larger fleet, in the range of 200 to 400 aircraft.

Restarting the F-22 Raptor production line is a “pipe dream” that is not feasible or strategically wise. The industrial base, including the assembly line and specialized subcontractors, no longer exists, and a 2017 Air Force report estimated a restart would cost a staggering $50 billion. Furthermore, the F-22’s 1990s-era technology is now obsolete and would require an extensive and costly redesign to remain relevant.

The F-117 Nighthawk, the world’s first operational stealth aircraft, was officially retired in 2008 but continues to fly regularly. The U.S. Air Force still uses the iconic jet as a cost-effective platform for several key missions. Primarily, it serves as a unique “aggressor” trainer, simulating foreign stealth aircraft like China’s J-20 to prepare U.S. pilots for modern threats.

The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin was a bizarre Cold War experiment: a tiny, egg-shaped “parasite fighter” designed to be carried inside the bomb bay of a massive B-36 bomber. The plan was to launch the Goblin mid-air to defend the bomber from interceptors and then retrieve it on a trapeze. The concept was a complete failure.

For decades, China’s advanced fighter jets, including the J-20 stealth fighter, were held back by a critical dependency on Russian-made engines. China has systematically overcome this weakness, evolving from copying Russia’s AL-31F engine to reverse-engineering Western commercial cores and finally developing its own powerful, indigenous designs like the WS-10 and WS-15.

In a historic pivot, the Pentagon is reportedly halving its planned purchase of F-35 stealth fighters, signaling a significant shift in U.S. airpower strategy. The move is a long-overdue break from a history of bad procurement choices, like rejecting the superior YF-23. Many would argue the F-35 is a vulnerable “procurement Frankenstein,” unsuited for a future war with China or Russia.

The U.S. Air Force made a “strategic blunder” in 1991 by choosing the YF-22 over the more advanced YF-23 prototype. The YF-23 was a more futuristic design, prioritizing the all-aspect stealth, speed, and range needed for modern, beyond-visual-range combat.The Air Force, however, being risk-averse, chose the more conventional and maneuverable YF-22 (or F-22) because it clung to outdated dogfighting dogmas.

While the F-35 is a capable 5th-generation fighter, it is a transitional “stopgap” that is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the evolving threats from China and Russia. To maintain air dominance, the U.S. must rapidly develop the 6th-generation F-47. The F-47 is envisioned not just as a faster, stealthier fighter, but as a “quarterback” for the entire battlespace, orchestrating drones, cyber operations, and other assets.

Despite being officially retired in 2008, the U.S. Air Force has confirmed that a fleet of approximately 45 F-117A Nighthawk stealth aircraft (or commonly known as the F-117 Stealth Fighter) will continue flying until at least 2034. The iconic jets are not designed for combat, but now serve in critical new roles. They act as “red air” aggressors for realistic pilot training, test advanced technologies like new “mirror-like” coatings, and serve as proxies for other stealth platforms.

The Air Force Global Strike Command has ordered an immediate halt to the use of its M18 service pistol following the death of a Security Forces Airman in a “tragic incident.” The Airman was killed by an alleged accidental discharge, fueling long-standing complaints and a recent FBI report suggesting the M18 can fire without its trigger being pulled.

Decades before the rumored SR-72 “Darkstar,” America had already conquered hypersonic flight with the X-15 rocket plane. In 1967, this remarkable experimental aircraft, developed by North American Aviation, reached a stunning speed of Mach 6.7, a record for a crewed, powered aircraft that remains unbroken to this day.

The Boeing X-32, derided for its “ugly,” cartoonish appearance, was a formidable contender in the Joint Strike Fighter competition but ultimately lost to what became the F-35. Despite its superb handling qualities, which one test pilot compared to an F/A-18, the X-32’s downfall was its flawed and complex Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) design.

A major funding battle has erupted between the U.S. Navy and the White House over the future of naval aviation. The Trump administration has officially prioritized the Air Force’s F-47 sixth-generation fighter, arguing the U.S. industrial base cannot support the simultaneous development of the Navy’s F/A-XX program.

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the world’s first operational stealth aircraft, was a revolutionary bomber deceptively designated as a “fighter” to attract the Air Force’s best pilots. Born from the top-secret “Have Blue” program, the “Wobblin’ Goblin” proved its worth during the 1991 Gulf War, where it struck heavily defended targets in Baghdad with impunity on the opening night of the air campaign.

The B-21 Raider’s more compact airframe compared to the B-2 Spirit is not a limitation but a deliberate evolution in strategic bomber design. Decades of technological progress allow the B-21 to achieve a superior level of all-aspect stealth with a smaller and more efficient profile.

The US Air Force is accelerating its B-21 Raider program, with at least two test aircraft expected to be flying by 2026 and capable of being rapidly configured for combat missions if required. This potential for early deployment comes as the US weighs the possibility of future strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The new B-21 Raider strategic bomber is not a revolutionary “game-changer,” but rather a crucial evolutionary step in air power that debunks the myth that drones and AI will make manned aircraft obsolete. While new technologies are seductive, they cannot replace the human judgment required for strategic deterrence, a mission the B-21 is designed to fulfill for decades.

The U.S. Air Force faces a strategic nightmare with its B-1B Lancer bomber fleet. The aging but still capable supersonic bomber is becoming increasingly obsolete, yet its replacement, the B-21 Raider, is still years from being operational. This creates a dangerous capability gap. The Pentagon is weighing difficult options: a costly modernization of the B-1B, which may not be enough; relying on other platforms like the B-52, which can’t match the B-1B’s speed and payload; or accelerating the B-21 program, which risks delays and technical setbacks.

Recent events, including the “Operation Midnight Hammer” B-2 strike on Iran, have highlighted the urgent need for the US Air Force to acquire a much larger fleet of stealth bombers. The current force of only 19 B-2s is stretched thin. Compounding the issue, significant delays in the B-52J modernization program mean those aircraft may not be ready until 2030 or later.