The U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor Fighter Nightmare Has Just Arrived

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Key Points: The U.S. Air Force’s plan to retire older F-22 Raptors to fund the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program has sparked controversy.

-Despite being over a decade old, the F-22 remains one of the most advanced fifth-generation fighters, with unparalleled maneuverability, stealth, and over-the-horizon combat capabilities.

-Critics argue that instead of retiring these jets, the U.S. should restart F-22 production, integrate features planned for NGAD—like AI, drone swarms, and advanced situational awareness—and allow export variants for allied nations.

-Preserving and upgrading the F-22 fleet offers a cost-effective way to maintain air dominance without splurging on a new sixth-generation program.

Bad Move: the Air Force Wants to Start Retiring F-22s

America’s F-22A Raptor is a fifth-generation warplane that is believed by many to be the most sophisticated warplane in the world. Able to perform incredible maneuvers that few other birds can perform, with over-the-horizon and dogfighting capabilities that are unmatched in the world, this stealth plane sends American rivals running for the hills. 

Even the Chinese, who have created a real rival to the F-22 with their Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon” fifth-generation warplane cannot be certain that their bird is as nimble and effective as the F-22. 

In fact, in every wargame when the F-22 is deployed into combat, even a small number of these warbirds tip the balance of power in that engagement in the favor of the American side. Despite this, though, the United States Air Force has been looking to retire some of the earliest models of the F-22. 

Citing age and lack of combat readiness (many of the early models still in use today are actually used for training purposes), the Pentagon is trying desperately to move its budget around to better accommodate their fantasy of building their sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter.

What’s Going On?

Earlier this year, when the Air Force was trying to send a handful of their older F-22 models into mothballs, Congress thankfully stepped in and stopped them.

Although once the Pentagon determines it doesn’t want one of its birds anymore, and Congress stops them, as has happened repeatedly with the A-10 Warthog, the Pentagon bureaucracy finds ways to ensure that they will achieve their objective of terminating the planes.

It’s shocking, given that the F-22 is such a dominant warplane. 

The Raptor Debate 

We have been told by the Air Force that the F-22 is getting old and will need a replacement (the NGAD). But how can this be? 

Just look at the Air Force and Congress’ reasoning for not allowing for the F-22 to exported to allied nations, such as Israel. According to the US government there are still so many components and aspects of the F-22 that are technologically advanced that not even our closest allies could be trusted to possess these capabilities. That’s why America’s other fifth-generation warplane, the F-35 Lightning II, is a major export for the United States to its allies but not the F-22.

So, how can it be that the Air Force says it wants to slowly begin retiring the F-22s, in part to make way for funding their NGAD program, because it’s too old…if the F-22 is too advanced to be exported to US allies, such as Israel or Britain? 

The fact of the matter is that the F-22 is still the premier American warplane. And will be for another 60 years.

With the rise of increasingly sophisticated autonomous drone swarms, as well as the possibility of military spaceplanes become a new normal this century, the need for a new manned warplane becomes little more than a vanity project for the Air Force. 

Big Blue should be happy with the birds it has—notably the F-22. 

Rather than trying to mothball these magnificent planes, they should be fighting to restore the production line for these birds that was prematurely canceled by the Obama administration as a response to what was then the Great Recession and its fallout.

Make the F-22 More Like NGAD

More importantly, the United States should seek to get its allies to buy into the Raptor restart by getting as many nations to purchase export variants of the F-22. Rather than building an entirely new platform, like the proposed NGAD, the Pentagon must focus on expanding the capabilities of the F-22 fleet by granting it as many capabilities that were being saved for the NGAD plane. 

For example, the NGAD program is designed to be semi-autonomous, relying on artificial intelligence (AI), advanced cloud computing, greater situational awareness for the pilots, and having the capability to deploy large drone swarms in what’s known as the “Loyal Wingman” network.

Most, if not all, of these capabilities can be installed on the F-22s without hindering the safety and efficacy of US forces. The F-22s are advanced enough to absorb these new capabilities. Now is not the time to throw the baby out with the bathwater and splurge money we don’t have on a sixth-generation warplane that we really don’t need. 

Congress and the incoming Trump administration must force the Air Force to operate within the parameters of our present reality. They must save the Raptor fighter and enhance it to ensure that is the dominant warplane of the rest of this century.

About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert 

Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior Editor at 19FortyFive.com and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, The American Spectator, to the National Interest. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.