Two F-22 Raptors from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Ala. arrived on Sept. 22, 2016 to Travis Air Force Base, Calif. to perform in the Wings over Wine Country Airshow in Sonoma, Calif. The F-22s are part of the Air Combat Command F-22 Demonstration Team from Langley Air Force Base, Va., and will perform precision aerial maneuvers demonstrating the unique capabilities of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft. (Air Force photo by Louis Briscese) The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
By: FEDweek StaffEven though the Air Force wants to retire 32 Block 20 F-22 fighters, one senior general disagrees.
“They give us a lot of training value and even if we had to – in an emergency – use the Block 20s in a combat situation, they’re very capable,” said Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, head of Air Combat Command, as reported in a story published online by the Air and Space Forces Association (AFA).
Wilsbach made the observation in a speech delivered earlier this month at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, noting that there is still no replacement for the F-22 in the pipeline. As such, the AFA article stated that the aircraft will likely continue to serve well for at least another 10 years. The story also pointed out that the plane has not received the same combat-configuration upgrades as other aircraft in the inventory.
The Air Force’s efforts to retire the F-22 have been thwarted by Congress in the last two budgets, even though service Secretary Frank Kendall has said publicly that keeping them would cost as much as $50 million per aircraft and that the money could be used instead for projects with higher priorities.
Wilsbach went on to say that the planned Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) family of piloted and robotic systems should not be construed as a replacement for the F-22.
“There isn’t an F-22 replacement. The F-22 is a fantastic aircraft. We’re actually planning several upgrades to the jet as we speak,” Wilsbach said.
The AFA article stated that the proposed 2025 budget contains a provision to allocate $7 billion toward F-22 improvements during the next five years, to include new stealth wing tanks and infrared search-and-track systems, as well as other upgrades.
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