USAF just said it will retire F-22 much earlier than planned (Newsflash video)

[@ezekieleason4997]

Air Force: Makes a 5th gen fighter in the early 2000s "We will replace it soon" also Air Force: Makes a bomber in the 1960s "It will continue to fly with us forever"

[@benitosalazar3749]

Except the F-22 was designed in the late 80s and first built and tested as the YF-22 in the 1990s.

[@coolbreeze2.0-mortemadfasc13]

I think the Stratofortress is from the 1950's.

[@adamnewton8565]

Shows the difference in times, when things were built to last, compared to designed for parts and servicing contracts

[@Orinslayer]

@@adamnewton8565 B-52 was built to be survivable. The only reason there is still a fleet of them is because over half of them have been ripped up for spare parts. Back in those days they went through a new fighter plane type ever 5 or so years.

[@jovpal5685]

Well a BOMBER is just a courier of a nuke warheard while the Fighter is basically the dog and workhorse of the airforce sooo it's kinda needs to fill its goals sad to say goodbye to a beautiful jet

[@randomcoyote8807]

I can only wonder if this is what a parent feels after they scrimp and save and work overtime to buy their child an expensive toy for their birthday, and then the child plays with it for a week then pushes it to the back of the closet saying "it's boring and stupid".

[@leafymarmot6348]

Yea I hope they give them to marines

[@hamzaalirehan822]

I hope they give it to Taliban, they love to do that

[@themumbotribe3923]

@@leafymarmot6348 I would like that very much

[@thekaiseroftheeast3895]

@@trenlinsley5517 That's the dumbest idea ever.

[@vkqtran4721]

@@hamzaalirehan822 Haha good joke! But seriously though, there is no way the US is going to give away S-grade hard and soft-ware to the Taliban.

[@KoRbA2310]

I can already see Polish gov sending 100 emails to US asking "is it for sale!?" "how much" "will take your entire stock"

[@GeneralChangFromDanang]

Or they'll end up in some middle eastern country just to be neglected and fall apart.

[@MichaelDavis-mk4me]

@@GeneralChangFromDanang Probably not, a lot of countries would like to have them depending on the sale price.

[@tihs87]

Nah we'll just buy 2 or 4 tops. rest we can accept for credit score.

[@cashmoney2159]

@@MichaelDavis-mk4me some arab billionaire would be flying it instead of his camel😂

[@MichaelDavis-mk4me]

@@cashmoney2159 Sounds like a cool thing to do, sadly it takes some real skill to fly such an aircraft.

[@jonathanryan9946]

They'll probably store the F-22 like they have the F-117. Just incase they need them later.

[@HeavensBladeTM]

hopefully...

[@decentish8546]

I doubt they’ll actually decommission it. Congress will have an aneurism if their new fancy jet gets decommissioned so quickly. Honestly can’t blame them that thing cost a shit ton.

[@Joesolo13]

They've still got F-117s in flying condition, they'll likely hold onto the 22 as well. If nothing else then in case of a large-scale war

[@goran77ish]

While still using F15s and planes from that era? Why would USAF not use F22 together with 6th gen planes. F117 was retired because it was flawed plane.

[@orneryokinawan4529]

@@decentish8546 it's not new genius. It's well over 20+ years old.

[@mustang5132]

This is like saving a bunch of money for many years so your kid can go to college, only to have them drop out in their last year

[@gblyndensrandomreviews]

100%!

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

No? The F-22 was did its job.

[@ameyas7726]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD F-22 was never used in battle nor any conflict....US wanted to keep it's tech secret, so was too afraid to use it overseas..

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

@@ameyas7726 First of all, it was used in battle so you're wrong. It was used overseas. Second, it served the role of national defense. Plenty of countries buy fighters and never get into wars. They did their job.

[@Gentleman...Driver]

@Blesava Konjina We can only hope that they learned their lessons. F22 and F35 were disasters in terms of project management. Too much time, too much money. Both, the F22 and F35 are very expensive aircraft to keep up. This is not how it was intended as the programs started.

[@Pete_Finch]

I really don't want to imagine a plane as beautiful as the F22 being shredded like the F14s were after their retirement

[@TheSuperhoden]

Probably sold to allies

[@dralord1307]

@@TheSuperhoden F22's still have a ton of sensitive tech in them that cant be sold. When decommissioned they strip out basically everything the only thing left over is the frame. Even the External coating is sensitive so its highly unlikely these will be sold off.

[@CountArtha]

@@dralord1307 But if the NGAF is another technological leapfrog, the F-22 will be old tech that some of our allies might be allowed to have - Japan, Israel, et al.

[@dralord1307]

@@CountArtha It would depend on in if the tech in the F22's can be safely removed and be the planes be usable, and if the remaining tech has had its classification changed to where it can be sold to allies. "Its all political mostly"

[@FallenPhoenix86]

@@TheSuperhoden Any ally that might have been both interested and financially capable of operating F-22's when they were new has already bought F-35's and/or started work on their own 6th gen projects. Knowing why the USAF wants to retire the F-22 no one will be interested.

[@Raptor302]

Air Force: It's broken, I need another one. 👀 But we just gave you a new plane!

[@jason4275]

Here's another $50 billion for development. (:

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

Pretty much.

[@ZunaZurugi]

Russia and china crying as they feel they have to keep up with US....but thats basicly impossible xD

[@jeanlannes4396]

But Congress, I want A FRESH ONE!!!

[@tumblingdown8612]

@@ZunaZurugi yeah keep up with what the f35? lol

[@pac1fic055]

That F-22 flying with the P-51s and P-38 and P-47 (as spotted by sped17373). Just beautiful.

[@candoit84]

All Hands on Deck

[@blink182bfsftw]

sci fi af

[@YZFHornet]

YF-23 has better lines

[@YZFHornet]

YF-23 has better lines

[@Redslayer86]

@@YZFHornet Nope.

[@lawrencemayne1906]

Looks like they've made it even more stealthy, trying to convince everyone that they won't exist any more. Low key genius, might even work.

[@MoonBeamLaser]

all according to keikaku

[@John_Redcorn_]

This

[@treysimmons2589]

Someone gets it.

[@larrylisssr5948]

no communist biden waas ordered by china to do this wake up he owed his soul to china

[@dendrite9000]

Lmao no bro, that’s not how any of this works

[@ishantgaming]

F-22 were made to replace F-15 F-15 ah, this puts a smile on my face 😎

[@georgethompson1460]

In any peer combat with a 1st world nation F-15's will probably be as effective as Gladiators in WW2.

[@xaina222]

​@@georgethompson1460 are F15 that bad ? I thought they have the most air to air kill ratio of any jet

[@spartanx9293]

@@xaina222 their not they are on par with most other 4th gen Jets

[@spartanx9293]

The f22 is superior the Obama administration just killed it's production

[@tyman2323]

@@xaina222 they were an amazing jet for its time, but it’s old and can’t hold up against today’s generation of aircraft. It’s like saying older Kareem Abdul Jabaar and win a 1v1 against Lebron James.

[@micuu1]

So I guess this basically makes the F-22 a glorified technology demonstrator program. I'm sure they learned a lot from it but holy shit those are some expensive lessons.

[@andrewscott8892]

You can thank Democrats for this tragedy

[@davidhouseman4328]

If it ends up as a tech demonstrator it will because of decades without a major war.

[@Sir_Budginton]

@@andrewscott8892 The F22 program began in 1981 when Regan was president.

[@lucastekkan]

@@Sir_Budginton But was cancelled in the Obama administration

[@DeosPraetorian]

@@lucastekkan Well it was a touch expensive

[@Wonkabar007]

Starscream disapproves 😠

[@Aisthetes24]

The real star scream from the 80’s was an F-15 ;)

[@DomR1997]

"Starscream will remember that"

[@DJ_Force]

So, in 20 years, Starscream may well be an F-15 again.

[@hx20games77]

@@DJ_Force no his more powerfull as an F22

[@hx20games77]

@@Aisthetes24 the movie sky warp can be the F15X

[@arsenal-slr9552]

F-15 still in production. Holy shit. King of all fighters

[@user-qf6yt3id3w]

The F-16 is too.

[@arsenal-slr9552]

@@user-qf6yt3id3w Hell yeah!

[@KRGruner]

LOL, F-15 production around 1,500, F-16 nearing 5,000.

[@F4Wildcat]

The F15 is perhaps one of the finest aircraft ever produced. The new F-15 EX carries 22 Air to air missiles....22. In the cold war most fighters carried 4-6

[@EejitInEspana]

Laughs in John Boyd.

[@kvas6255]

USA: I have the most advanced stealth air superiority fighter in the world Also USA: I don’t want to play with you anymore

[@tritium1998]

Even this video lists some reasons why it's not the most advanced air superiority fighter in the world.

[@kvas6255]

@@tritium1998 Still ya gotta admit it’s up there. Also I get why their discontinuing I’m just messing around

[@Timbo5000]

The F-22 was basically pushing too hard in terms of technology. It's the kind of plane a country would research if in the middle of a war or intense arms race. I still don't know why the US ever thought it was a good idea to make such an overly expensive fighter that in a few years would be behind in technology compared to other, more adaptable designs. They seem to have completely ignored longevity with this design and that makes it a waste of money. The gen 6 better be able to take upgrades, or else it'll be the same story all over again. It's not like the US needs that, because nobody in their right mind is going to join in on this arms race.

[@MonMalthias]

@@Timbo5000 This is the mid cold war mind set of let's throw the kitchen sink at it, Congress will approve of anything as long as we keep flooding the air waves with Civil Defense, Duck and Cover drills. Arguably the F-22 was itself a transitional fighter that was more of a test of industry capabilities, than anything conceived with a clear doctrine in mind. The doctrine came after the technology integration. Which should say all that need to be said about why the F-22 is the way it is. Limited upgrade-ability because it was never intended to serve as long as it did. Every component pushed to the technological limits of its era. No consideration for what might happen in the event of technology proliferation - again, the expectation was that in 10-15 years there would be yet another replacement for it. In this light, it's even more likely that the Gen 6 "doctrine" - again conceived after technology integration - drones, emphasis on electronic warfare, possible laser integration - will also be a tech demo turned into a fighter program, with little consideration for long periods of service. Arguably its core technological innovation - agile development from the ground up - will incentivise an even shorter service life as acceleration in technological progress means swift obsolescence of components. With so many advances coming down the pipeline from gallium nitride electronics, to photonic computing, to rotating detonation wave engines, to fluidic injection thrust vectoring, it's unlikely that aircraft manufacturers will even want to maintain airframes for particularly long periods of time. Instead it will likely go back to the post WW2 period of rapid advancements driving rapid retirements. And of course, through it all, weapons manufacturers will be laughing all the way to the bank.

[@thefirehydrationunit5887]

Yes

[@EhEhEhEINSTEIN]

Raptors sound like alfa romeos. Inconvenient to use, things break, parts are expensive and complicated... but LOOK AT IT lol

[@jacobrzeszewski6527]

Like Italian cars in general. They all sound angry, but have the longevity of a WWE wrestler.

[@steveperreira5850]

The raptor is expensive, but at least it can fight and win. The F 35 is a Pig. We are doomed if we produce very many of them.

[@CrusaderSports250]

@@steveperreira5850 F35 is also very expensive to maintain, as people are finding out, and numbers are already being reduced on further contracts, a two seat F35 could be an excellent electronics warfare aircraft, being the eyes and ears of any mission, this would guarantee its future placement.

[@robertobrocchieri8870]

@@jacobrzeszewski6527 tell it to the FIAT 500 of my uncle... 45 years and still going. I love that car.

[@myusername3689]

It’s too expensive to upgrade to make it less of a maintenance hog. Which is just sad.

[@simonpotter7534]

I had read that both the F-22 and F-35 are effectively 'bespoked' with limited interchangeability of components between aircraft of the same type which involves items being sent back to manufacturer to be modified for each aircraft just make certain they fit. I would imagine that this leads to impressive maintenance hours

[@hufthenerd7135]

@@simonpotter7534 a bunch of the equipment was also scuttled during the obama administration, so we can't make any new aircraft anyways

[@CrazyNikel]

@@simonpotter7534 The F35 platform is *extremely* flexible. Unlike the f22 platform.

[@Arktls12]

@@CrazyNikel the F35 is a total shit show

[@CrazyNikel]

@@Arktls12 lmao only thing wrong with *the most versatile and flexible stealth system ever created.* Is the cost. Try again 🐱

[@SilvanaDil]

If -- and that's a big if -- the F22s are going to be retired early, it means that the next king of the skies is closer to fruition than expected.

[@davidtsw]

Exactly. Or that the F-35 is better than most say.

[@bobw1678]

Exactly. They wouldnt plan to retire it (and announce it!) without having a replacement on deck.

[@Joesolo13]

@@davidtsw it definitely is. If you believe half the comments on the web you'd think the F35 isn't in mass production and all the test versions are grounded. In reality it works it's just overly expensive and not quite what it was meant to be, but it still outclasses everything else in the air

[@rageXnation32]

@Blesava Konjina whats gonna happen?

[@willc1294]

@@rageXnation32 US will be annexed by Russia/China

[@simonphoenix3789]

When its taxpayer money, the government sure doesn't mind wasting it without a second thought.

[@TheSuperhomosapien]

Unless they are spending it on something beneficial for the general population, like universal health care. Then everybody starts worrying about how much it will cost.

[@thethirdman225]

The problem is that they get conned by huge companies like Lockheed-Martin and a bunch of generals who represent interests other than those of defence of the nation. You can't expect politicians to have an intimate knowledge of the features of a modern fighter jet, especially when some of them are secret. Furthermore, the closer they are to that knowledge, the more likely it is that they will be in the pocket of someone like L-M. The fact is that the average politician can't afford to spend a lot of time on defence, unless they are charged with that portfolio. They have too many other things to manage. Surprising as it may seem, a politician's life is nowhere near as easy as it looks. They can lose their job every four years, either by losing preselection or losing their seat. Everybody hates them because the average person doesn't tell them what they want. It's so much easier to be critical.

[@Иванпонимаете-г4ш]

@@TheSuperhomosapien fact's

[@mhamma6560]

@@TheSuperhomosapien General population can buy their own healthcare if they want. The public options like canada and UK suck really really bad, and that's what the left wants, central gov run care that's really shitty. Then of course there's how to pay for it. There's a reason that everything in UK and europe costs so much more than in the US.... that's because the gov doesn't actually pay for it (gov has no money, it's taxpayer money) they just put taxes on everything, everywhere. On the other hand sweden's schooling and healthcare is much different. The gov still taxes EVERYBODY very heavily --- cost of living / goods / food / fuel, it's all twice as expensive as the US, but then the money is turned over to PRIVATELY RUN schools and health facilities. I'd take F22s over shitty gov healthcare any day of the week. Everything in my life costs less, I have a much better quality of life, and I get to choose precisely the healthcare options I want to pay for.

[@TheSuperhomosapien]

@@mhamma6560 Well, I'm from the communist dystopia of Canada (I'm assuming it is a dystopia because if you watch american corporate media they claim that every policy we have here would instantly turn your country into Venezuela if implemented in the US) and I like my health care. My issue is that it doesn't cover enough like Eurpoean countries do. It's so well liked here in Canada that no politician would ever dare try to take it away in favor of an American style system, it would be political suicide. Even Conservatives here know better. Plus it's helpful for small business since they don't have to worry about providing health care for their employees. If you work for a competitive larger company then you can be more focused on negotiating a larger wage instead of going for a lower wage with a good healthcare package. The only people being hurt by socialized medicine are the large companies and of course especially the insurance and pharmaceutical companies (the same large companies that own news media outlets that try to demonize socialized health care). The ones that pay politicians large sums of money to tell everyone what you're saying about socialized healthcare right now. The higher taxes to support it work themselves out in the end since you don't have to worry about health care expenses. It is basically a health care plan that covers an entire country if you want to think of it that way. Since the government foots the bill it negotiates directly with the drug companies. If they want to do business in Canada or Europe, they have to keep their prices reasonable. That's why a $98.00 vial of insulin only costs $12.00 here in Canada. That's also why in the US, medical expenses are the number one cause of bankruptcy for individuals. That's not a concern here in Canada. But politicians own large amounts of stock in the same military companies they also approve large amounts of money for, so you know where that funding is going to go. There's no money for the rich to make providing ordinary people reasonable healthcare.

[@SergeantKillGore]

Seems likely this is at least partly in response to the 6th Gen fighter under development showing promise. The USAF has already conducted a test flight with a prototype which it claims broke several records.

[@darhammora7867]

Recently rumored it’s not just one test flight but many and broke many records, even some selected congress members seen it in secret and they were amazed by its capabilities!!

[@Royallz15]

@@darhammora7867 I don't believe it until I see it.

[@darhammora7867]

@@Royallz15 it’s in General Clinton Hinote interview

[@damianketcham]

I hear it’s shaped like a Tic-Tac.

[@Noisykiller12]

Hyped for the teaser trailer

[@mayuthecop]

F-22 fighter is like when you upgraded your PC back in 2010 with a motherboard capable of DDR2 RAM and 1150 CPU Socket. Dead end and no upgrade path lol

[@danielsuarez3198]

Still better than the f-35 that they can't even fly without something breaking down 🤣

[@eduwino151]

@@danielsuarez3198 F35s are more lethal than anything they will ever face in the sky, its a flying supercomputer

[@simpleandawesomeanime3220]

@@danielsuarez3198 It's like it just went into service a few years ago. Oh wait.

[@mayuthecop]

@@danielsuarez3198 I think the F-22 is a Intel Platform and the F-35 its a Ryzen. It might not have the raw single core power of Intel, but the future upgrades path is just way better. Not to mention that one day, just like AMD, F-35 could match or even surpass the F-22, or whatever spawns from the F-35 project. I still think the F-35 is just a test platform for something like F-35 2.0 :D

[@georgethompson1460]

@@mayuthecop Or F-36, It'd be funny if the F-35 ended up with longevity similar to the F-15/16 due to being an export model.

[@mclmm6773]

Only because DoD is about to come out and say, “oh yeah those flying tic tacs....those are ours.”

[@stevejones1488]

Harnessed alien technology, right in time for our war with china.

[@macgyver186]

I wholeheartedly believe this.

[@puntoni]

@@stevejones1488 I really want a war huh?

[@stevejones1488]

@@puntoni its a fact of human existence, have you not studied history?

[@jozar2773]

@@puntoni War creates strong men. Look at the west. Much of the US military is pussified by sjws. I saw a tweet by Ted Cruz that showed a comparison of Russia and US military and Russia looked better because it's not sjw. I might move to Russia later in life if the west becomes more liberalized. I wanna have my rights, and I know Russia won't disappoint.

[@JohnDobak]

Looking forward to buying some milsurp F22's.

[@burntham113]

I'm 100% sure that when they are finally decommissioned they'll do something stupid like smash them to bits with a wrecking ball.

[@brendanhoens2035]

"Welcome to McDonalds, may I take your order?" "Yes, I'll have one McRaptor with a quarter pounder, please." "That'll be $12.89."

[@Frost-01]

i wouldnt count on it, the best you'll get is from a museum view

[@Globalnet626]

I can see other nations getting some. Japan's been wanting the f22 for decades.

[@luisislas2162]

Well, the F22 was never shared with other countries. But, I guess they should now to make some money back...

[@daltonv5206]

It'll never retire from my heart

[@bp3188]

One of the sexiest fighter jets ever built imo

[@24YOA]

It may be retired, but it will still be one of the sexiest jets ever made. F-22 just looks hot.

[@Nationalsgaming-it6uw]

The F-22 and the F-14 and the sexiest jets ever

[@thepensmith1]

SU-35 is the sexiest

[@shiwanisrivastava6716]

U human?

[@TacynMegan]

SU-47 is sex incarnate

[@pixytorres7117]

@@thepensmith1 all the SU are almost the same planes which is lame.

[@arya0794]

damn it was such a nice plane though

[@dalliskal4827]

Do they have a reason to do that?

[@hiteshadhikari]

@@dalliskal4827 high maintenance cost, lack of spares, low serviceability, lack of many advanced sensors which today are a normal nom and many else

[@cedriceric9730]

@@dalliskal4827 it was designed and built for the cold war! Something to suprise the Soviets with! It's also super expensive and no matter how good you are, the USA has learned the hard way that enemies can adapt! They want to make a new fighter every other month like in ww2! Obviously the f22 wasn't designed for that kind of future

[@syamsuddinalidebadr7619]

@@hiteshadhikari and it was actually to good, no aircraft were capable of shooting one down, and the still versetile f-35 in development is a cheaper option

[@hiteshadhikari]

@@syamsuddinalidebadr7619 nothing such, the idea of one aircraft is invincible is a false notion. It all depends on multiple factors, force multipliers, situational awareness. The advantage f 22 had were that they often had all to their favour, the stealth capabilities allow you to be the first detect first shoot. Many even 4.5 gen jet in basics would outperform the 22 in a dogfight but the biggest issue remains detecting it and getting close enough

[@mattheww.6232]

It's weird to have air superiority fighters last for 30-40 years. This is basically like using a P-51 all the way to the 80s.

[@NineSeptims]

They carry out heavy maintenance which means replacing 80% of the components damaged from wear and tear. They last alot longer than you would think.

[@NineSeptims]

@@a8205-w8h America still makes use of prop planes for low altitude bombing.

[@PLATONU]

not all the world is in the race of "air superiority" ... you are like ... "we have the best team of american futbol in the world!!! the world championship"... but only USA takes it seriously

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

I mean, the fact that for a long time there was no match for the F-22 helped greatly its long life span. Plus, I doubt the Raptor will just be phased out like all propeller fighters when jets appeared, considering that given everything, is still more than capable of wrecking shit up.

[@mattheww.6232]

@@a8205-w8h And it had it's sea access annexed because of it. Plus all it has to do is outclass the cartels and rebels that don't have any actual warplanes. So a P-51 screaming down at 350 mph and blazing with 6 .50s or 4 cannons is overkill.

[@thestevecbr]

RAPTOR: no way way i’m going to retire until i down enemy aircraft....

[@Rasti__]

From a purely sentimental point of view, this hurts my heart as much as when the good old F-14 was retired. But from a financial point, this was a long foregone obvious conclusion. The difficulty / inability to further update the frame just puts more nails into the coffin.

[@icecold9511]

The F14 was retired because the airframes were just done. Put a bucket under it to catch leaking fluids

[@zoka7108]

@@icecold9511 The B-1 will be retired too. Swing-wing aircraft have a very short lifespan because of their complex swing mechanism.

[@lelandgaunt9985]

Yes, they’re bringing the B-52’s back! Love shack babeeeee!

[@worldmapping4895]

pretty sure the b52 never retired

[@lelandgaunt9985]

@@worldmapping4895 Pretty sure it’s a joke.

[@Kilroy-h5u]

@@lelandgaunt9985 no refitting a whole bunch, new avionics the whole works. Hypersonic missle platform. They have a large fleet of them in the desert bone yard.

[@LexlutherVII]

@@worldmapping4895 Lol🤣

[@LordRambo]

B52 getting renewed for 200 more years. Thats where its at baby!

[@sparty94]

i'll keep my eye out for those govt auctions. maybe i can pick up an f-22 on the cheap.

[@Defender78]

the F-22 will be on AvBuyer by 2060s in a demilitarized setup to civilian owners. I wonder if decades from now the current F-16s, AH-64s, and FA-18s will be such old airframes that theyll be shuffled around on the used market to 3rd world air forces, like Kenya and Venezuela

[@marrqi7wini54]

@@Defender78 That will be interesting to see. That our current and most fighters will eventually be so outdated and cost of production cut so much, that you can see planes at this quality being sold to lesser military powers. And if a civilian version is to be made, cost will be needed to be brought down so private entities can reasonably purchase and maintain them. To say that these jets are expensive is a true understatement. But I am curious on who and why a civilian entity would want to buy one?

[@jonathanryan9946]

Some where, in some secret facility the USAF and DARPA is already drawing up ideas for the 7th generation fighter to replace the 6th generation NGAD program that is now moving forward to replace the F-22

[@mxn1948]

thats basically how development works, once gen in production, the next in engineering and the one after that in planning/study

[@ycplum7062]

They would not be making the announcement unless the NGAD was close to operational. Hopefully, they will design the NGAD with some extra room for future upgrades.

[@ycplum7062]

@@trenlinsley5517 I suspect it will have a IR dazzler against heat seeking missiles and I hope the space to upgrade to a laser for point defense or anti-drone. Kind of wasteful to use a missile against a drone. lol

[@MajinOthinus]

@@ycplum7062 IR dazzlers do literally nothing against heat seeking missiles.

[@DarkMatterX1]

@Bite1 asshole Man, your level off asschap is infinite.

[@ycplum7062]

@@MajinOthinus You do realize that heat seekers use IR to sense the heat of their targets? Dazzlers can overload the IR sensors on the missiles. The trick is to accurately target the sensor head, cover the right frequency band and and generate enough intensity. It has already demonstrated it can work against some MANPADS. The US is devoloping HELIOS and teh Russians Shtora. However the Shtora is more to disrupt laser designators and rangefinders.

[@MajinOthinus]

@@ycplum7062 No, that isn't how those sensors work. All you'd be doing would be to give any missile a convenient target marker to home on to. What you're talking about are active protection systems for tanks that are designed for entirely different weapons and environments. You can't overload passive sensors that way.

[@MechanizedGhost17]

This was bound to happen. They cut production short and they couldn't even integrate JHMCS into it (even tho it was supposed to have it)

[@pspmaster2071]

I see that ace combat avatar! Love that game too.

[@wanglu4849]

i think it was the best decision to cut production, it was part of the low high mix.... 190 fighters is bigger then 95% of air forces in the world already, and russia and china were pretty weak in 2000 with a very low military budget when the f22 came out so it didnt have much purpose. The us really should of scraped it early in the 90s , it had no use for it, that money could of been used to pay off debt as high military spending in the 90s really wasnt needed one bit. At one point russia military spending was only 21 billion a year vs the 500 billion the US was spending around then (late 90s, early 2000)

[@Peatingtune]

When I was a kid I had a copy of F-22 Interceptor for the SEGA Genesis. That game came out in 1991, so I feel like the plane has been around a long time even though the actual F-22 and not the prototype didn't have its first flight until 96. Always strange to note it entered service 15 years after the game came out. Fighter development takes a long time.

[@shaider1982]

There was a complaint in a video game magazine back then of so many F22 sims while the airplane wasn't still im service.

[@SimonRaahauge1973]

we had a game on our first computer (a 486) named F23 retaliator. that was in 1993.

[@ablethreefourbravo]

US military weapon procurement has been a ridiculous nightmare for decades at this point. I remember during the run up to the F-35 actually entering production people were questioning whether the military could even design a piece of hardware anymore. I would argue if you got the politicking out, it might go a bit better, but I'm afraid to see what a mess the NGAD is going to be.

[@MarvelousSeven]

I played the hell out of that game on genesis back in the day.

[@djzrobzombie2813]

Lol i remember a game with the RAH66 commanche .... They helo never saw service 😂

[@kasyfulwarith5983]

*The battle in the skies intensifies*

[@tritium1998]

More like The Pentagon Wars.

[@JohnKorvell]

F35 ultimatum: "Get costs under control in the next 6 to 8 years"- AF When I was working in business and would have been part of such a messed up program, I'd be given 6 to 8 weeks!

[@BasnettJames]

6 to 8 weeks? More like 24 hours to have a recovery plan.

[@steveperreira5850]

The weakest link in the Air Force is the F 35 do it all combat aircraft that does nothing well. And for the Navy it’s those goddamn aircraft carriers, gigantic targets for swarms of missiles or drones. The future is unmanned Combat aircraft and other kinds of vehicles.

[@mhamma6560]

What people fail to realize is that it's not the fighter programs, it's the government itself. They order options 1 2 3 4 and 5. Then they get 1 2 3 4 and 5, but then they say they want 1 2 3 4 and 6, so then they get 1 2 3 4 and 6, then they say, oops, I mean we want options 2, but not 1, and 9, but not 3, and we really want 5 too. Then as aircraft are being turned over, they say, we meant we wanted options 7 8 13 and twinkie. This is what happens when there's no accountability and moving goal posts -- I mean it's like they're spending someone else's money.... oh wait, it IS someone elses money. Then each branch of service likes to be special. No can't share something with the AF, we here at NAVY want our own special version, kinda the same, but with added costs just to be different.

[@maccheese8379]

Jeremy Irons will only give you time to sell it all out by the noon.

[@looinrims]

@@steveperreira5850 lol

[@beefsuprem0241]

Will it's replacement be bubble wrapped and spend more time in movies than combat also?

[@RobinTheBot]

Yes

[@splendid9910]

Hopefully, cause if we were honest, it would be nuclear war eitherway, so king of the skies or not, it will be doomed to nuclear winter, and nukes, ofc

[@Schmidty1]

Hopefully it is, why would you want a war vs a major power to test it out in? I sure hope we don't have wars vs regional or major powers. Air superiority fighters don't usually engage often unless the enemy has an air force to engage...

[@beefsuprem0241]

@@Schmidty1 Nobody wants a war for sure. But equally we don't want to be wasting money on an over engineered and over priced one service jet. The F22 has spent nearly it's entire lifetime based in the US since it has no carrier variant and has a ridiculous maintenance to flight hours ratio. Only recently have a few been deployed to qatar to frighten Iran.

[@valenrn8657]

NGAD is at an advanced development stage. Stealth coating's durability has improved when compared to F-22's.

[@lucastekkan]

according to who ?

[@Royallz15]

@@lucastekkan his source: "trust me bro".

[@mickeyg7219]

@@lucastekkan Do you think that material science doesn't improve after all these years?

[@lucastekkan]

@@mickeyg7219 I think, but he said it with the confidence of someone who works on the project

[@lolvks]

@@lucastekkan it’s probably an educated guess given that we know that NGAD has already flying

[@BlueDeadNoRedemption]

Me: Fighter jets are the coolest thing ever. US military: this isn't cool enough. Make a new one.

[@steveperreira5850]

Whatever you or anyone else is thinking, you better be thinking about autonomous on my hand combat aircraft all around, and small and cheap. If you’re not thinking that you are a dinosaur.

[@yaz2928]

Who said it wasn't cool enough? They're scrapping it because it's too expensive and are asking for less expensive fighters.

[@conner6926]

Looks like the Raptor will become a another Tomcat...

[@Asghaad]

TomCat was replaced by low budget inferior design, it looks that F-22 replacement will be an actual upgrade unless they scrap it and go with just F-35s

[@splendid9910]

@@Asghaad that would be dissapointing to be honest, the F35 is definately a more flexible airframe to fit new weapon systems onto but it will eventually run into the same issues as the F22. Lets wait and see what happens lel.

[@chico20m]

At least Tomcats saw action.

[@HeavensBladeTM]

@@chico20m F-22 also had some action in Syria. as least it dropped some bombs. that's still action. it was actual war.

[@merafirewing6591]

@@HeavensBladeTM Still no wow factor or historical significance to mark it down completely.

[@4thImpulse]

When I first heard this, I was dismayed, but on hearing the why, it seems the USAF are actually using some first principles thinking for once. Quickly shifting to the NGAD and outpacing the rest of the world, while forcing contractors to mind costs. Seriously smart moves, in defiance of tradition and big defense contractors.

[@timberwolf1575]

Oh, it'll be political and corrupt, just wait. I would start looking at whether the Biden family owns stock in one of the competitors or if they are shorting Northrup.

[@ekonomija8718]

It depends on if the NGAD will be developed smoothly enough, or if it'll start becoming a horrendous money pit like the F-35 turned out to be. It's a risky move, although idk if the NGAD really risks going through development hell or if things are already smooth.

[@4thImpulse]

@@ekonomija8718 one of the reasons I'm confident NGAD will be different is that the Air Force's new timetable has effectively made the contractor's old methods of money grubbing obsolete. Time will tell, but the signs are promising.

[@gadzadhamgaacaan8488]

Lol, forcing contractors. Do you still want to be hired after you retire from pentagon?

[@mxn1948]

@@gadzadhamgaacaan8488 they will just promise the high heavens, its be cheap and powerful, but once the pentagon is in too deep, costs will suddenly spiral capabilities will be scaled back. plus they'll also spread out production across the country making it unkillable by congress like the f-35.

[@mandoreforger6999]

They said the F-15 would be gone 10 years ago. They just bought more....

[@damedusa5107]

Isn’t that a new version that’s only related to the original by its looks?

[@seanshin1615]

When the last Raptors fly to the boneyard, the planes flying patrol over them will be Eagles.

[@smokintruker27]

F-15EX. New generation of the fighter

[@Conan-ny1um]

That because the 6th gen is far ahead of schedule!

[@fatdaddy1996]

Perhaps. I will believe it when I see it.

[@asherkosmos4312]

3d printing parts is pretty insane tech. Later on humanity will have fabricators with the likes of Star Trek. Instant noodle

[@trezapoioiuy]

@@asherkosmos4312 especially for prototyping and small productions, it allows crazier mechanical parts while reducing costs.

[@thebigone6969]

I think it’s important to note here that this is simply a statement of future intentions and none of this may actually happen for a variety of reasons (political interference, longer than expected development process for the replacement fighter, new aircraft being introduced by peer competitors, etc.). For example, the B-52 was supposed to have been replaced by the B-1 in the 1980s and the Airforce has attempted to retire the A-10 on multiple occasions.

[@darrellcook8253]

Some airplanes you just can't do without. The irreplaceable A-10 is a perfect example. Nothing else is as battle tough, carries a phenomenal amount of ordnance and does it on a cost effective way. Every good thing deserves the proper maintenance not getting tossed out. If an oil light goes on (or out) on your car you don't go down and buy a new car. You fix it.

[@f1hotrod527]

Good point.

[@cell4224]

@@darrellcook8253 It has less to do with the vehicle itself being outdated and more to do with the entire doctrine of slow moving close air support being too risky on the modern battlefield. Aircraft are much more expensive than the equivalent SAM countermeasures required to destroy them, which is why stealth is such a big thing right now, the only way to not become financially destitute while waging war is using airplanes that can bypass SAM countermeasures. The A-10 is actually way worse than contemporary CAS planes because the design was made with a nose cannon in mind which requires the plane to loiter over the battlefield. Slow moving + loitering = certain death. The A-10 is equipped with missiles for a reason and those are the primary weapons, the gun is a last resort. The A-10 and the B-52 are only in service because the opposition it is used against lack even rudimentary MPADS & SAM equipment. Proper surface to air defences make quirk work of anything that either lacks stealth or can fire cruise missiles from out of range (like a strategic bomber). The thing is, there won't be a war between modern states for the foreseeable future, so anything goes until then. The A-10 has unfortunately gained an almost mythological reputation among the army folk who unlike the airforce don't understand the intricacies of air superiority which is why everyone thinks its the best plane ever even though it is only really in use because the guys at the receiving end are limited to AK's and toyota land cruisers.

[@cell4224]

@@soulsphere9242 My post implied the complete opposite of your first paragraph, how did you manage to get that so wrong? Loitering is not a requirement of CAS. You can designate a target and have the ground attack vehicle come in from a safe distance and strafe the target. This is just much less effective with a conventional gun because your firepower is limited by the time of exposure, this is why rotary cannons are utilized, but even then it is simply ineffective compared to bombs or missiles.

[@ravmonster9]

It’s the classic Air Force move to get more funding… Because clearly the only way you can fix a broken defense acquisition system is by throwing more money at it. 😂 I just hope they don’t buy $1300 coffee mugs this time. 😅

[@Rockin_Roll]

but they wiil spend 600 bucks for a toilet seat...

[@boejiden7093]

If the US is retiring it, then they already have something to replace it with. Its probably very expensive to maintain the f-22 even for the US.

[@icecold9511]

Well, small numbers probably mean every replacement part costs more. Imagine if they had to hand make every part your car needs, like 60s era cars would today.

[@pieterveenders9793]

It's extremely unlikely the US has something even better, considering they only just started testing the 6th gen replacement. Rather there isn't any real need for the F22 because neither China nor Russia has any comparable fighters fielded either. Although Russia's SU57 comes fairly to very close, they only have a couple of them, and although China is fielding the J-20 in steadily increasing numbers that plane is far from a 5th gen, more like a 4+ or 4++ at the most. And with the problems and gigantic costs of the F22 its understandable that they're considering retiring it.

[@puellamservumaddominum6180]

Actually f35 (36000) still more expensive to fly per hour than f 22 (34000)

[@SP3NTT]

Holy shit, 6th gen in 10-15 years? We blow so much money on defense.

[@icecold9511]

It is only blowing money until you need it. The days of waiting for war to build your militarily up is over.

[@Asghaad]

Si vis pacem, para bellum ...

[@colejosephalexanderkashay683]

@@Asghaad indeed

[@bobw1678]

Strong defense is what keeps our allies comfortable, and keeps certain nations from acting more aggressively. This ensures global supply chains stay open and unimpeded. This is why you can go to walmart or go on amazon and buy whatever you want for a decent price. Thank goodness we "blow so much money on defense." The alternative is far worse.

[@SP3NTT]

@@bobw1678 how delusional are you? How delusional are you? Economic incentive is the reason supply chains exist lol

[@theholyasdf3593]

Amazing compilation of F22 footage by the way. Sure, it is retiring, but it's such a beautiful fighter jet.

[@lachlanwilliams5818]

It's sad but if the F-22 is already showing its age then retiring it early makes sense.

[@piotrd.4850]

Of course not. Only far too low numbers make it technically unsustainable.

[@Royallz15]

I thought everyone said that the f-22 was the most advanced and stealthiest jet? How is it showing its age? Am I missing something?

[@appa609]

The RAM coatings are having problems. What they really should have done was integrate F-35 prebaked RAM panels into the design in the late 2000's when that was being developed and the F-22 production tooling still existed.

[@RedvsBlue-cv5rz]

@@Royallz15 they refuse to modernize the avionics on it and the technology on it is now proving to be older in comparison to new fighters and their avionics

[@Royallz15]

@@RedvsBlue-cv5rz thank you for the info

[@Dr.Westside]

50 bucks says they don't retire in 2030 . Add another 5 to 10 years .

[@coolbreeze2.0-mortemadfasc13]

Totally agree.

[@FREDDYHUNTER34isnotliquid69420]

I like those odds

[@sleepnaught]

Of course. We'll still have legacy fighter like the F-16 and F-15 still in service. No way the F-22 gets retired that early.

[@Shadowsearcher64]

@@sleepnaught f16s are relatively cheap to use. f22s burn money like its going out of style.

[@r.i.p2464]

Let me put it this way. Would you rather have it draining tax money till 2030 or just divert all that resources for a better 6th gen? Theres just too much up keep for a role that most probably we'll never see for the years to come and all of the fighters in the u.s. inventory can perform that task in a high level too for less than the value of whats needed to maintain the raptor. You already have one high maintenance stealth fighter with more flexibility and you dont need another one that drains more cash for less usability. Theres no doubt its the greatest plane for the task it was made for but theres a reason why it was cut short and 3 legacy fighters are still alive.

[@Carter_12]

greeeaattt, can't wait for the USAF to bungle another fighter program

[@jannegrey]

Yeah. The F-22 is know to be VERY closed platform - so while weird it does make some sense. Arguably though they could find a way to keep them in USAF.

[@leafymarmot6348]

Give them to marines????

[@billhanna2148]

@@leafymarmot6348 they can't afford them

[@Dominator2930]

My guess is that many will go to the Air National Guard, since it is still a good air superiority fighter. Who knows though

[@spartanx9293]

How it's avionics have been updated

[@JRyan-lu5im]

Continued use relegates them to a status that they must still maintain, which still requires training, staff, supply support, and parts production. Basically kills the entire point of retiring them.

[@jackmclane1826]

No problem. I take one! ;)

[@Starcraftmazter]

Imagine spending hundreds of billions of dollars on the F-22 program, scaling back the number of fighters 5 times over, and then retiring them shortly after their introduction - without doing anything useful. At this point, the DoD just exists to give lockheed and boeing shareholders money.

[@MartinCHorowitz]

Stealth Fighter Aircraft have a short shelf life, as detection technology improves they lose the advantages of stealth and still have the aerodynamic and weapon load compromises.

[@QuantumAscension1]

Well, that's a shame, but as long as we're keeping the A-10 I'm happy. That plane deserves another 100+ years Also "...F-15 as a 'missile truck'...". Nice, I like that. F-15's really are like the Ford F150's of the USAF.

[@thegoldengoat2560]

The a10s job could be done by cheaper to operate turboprops

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

@@thegoldengoat2560 Exactly. Should have neen retired in 1993 as it was meant to.

[@QuantumAscension1]

@@thegoldengoat2560 Do the turboprops have the ability to carry a 30mm cannon capable of moderate anti-tank penetration?

[@thegoldengoat2560]

@@QuantumAscension1 if there are tanks then there will probably be some sort of anti air platform nearby. The a10s' cannon would not be used in a situation like that. Turbo props could mount a smaller caliber cannon and use it to the same effect as the 30mm

[@QuantumAscension1]

@@thegoldengoat2560 Meh, I’d still trust my life to an A-10 five times over a turboprop. They’re as much a psychological weapon as they are a literal one

[@simonphoenix3789]

damn that's sad.. it is such a beautiful aircraft, especially compared to the ugly looking f-35. the only aircraft that looks as beautiful as an F-22 is probably the f-14.

[@HeavensBladeTM]

Oh no, seriously?? they want to retire Raptor earlier? for some reason it makes me sad. for some reason every time jet which I like retires it kind of makes me cry. last time I almost cried was when they retired F-14, that was my favorite fighter jet of all time. I also almost cried for Harrier...

[@keirfarnum6811]

You need to get out more often!

[@KausnHavok]

The USAF did a study and discovered that constantly upgrading platforms are more expensive than acquiring new types in the long run. They hope to change the way they acquire new types so they are planning on sticking to four + one types and replacing them more often than constantly keep upgrading them. The NGAD is coming along nicely so the F-22 is becoming expendable much more sooner than expected. Look for F-15EX to eventually replace all F-15C & E and a new 4.5 type to replace all other (possibly even the A-10). By 2035 it will only be NGAD, F-35, F-15ex and one other (possibly a variant of the F-16xl.) Things are moving away from dedicated platforms to flexible platforms with an emphasis on sensors so this move is logical.

[@KausnHavok]

@@soulsphere9242 F15c's will be replaced by the EX and there are serious studies into replacing the E's as well. The E's can be converted to the EX model much easily than the C models so I guess it all depends on how much Boeing will charge to upgrade. Most likely if the UASF acquires new Ex's, the Israelis will most likely swallow them up. It squares rather nicely with what the USAF chief of staff said....but I'm not sure if I totally agree with it.

[@JacobVahrSvenningsen]

Do you have a link for this interesting gold nugget ..? It fits well with open architecture - but it doesn’t fit with logistics supply chains

[@KausnHavok]

@@JacobVahrSvenningsen www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/usaf-plans-to-reduce-fighter-aircraft-fleet-to-about-four-platform-types Why do you think it won't fit with the supply chain?

[@imjashingyou3461]

Replacing dedicated platforms for underperfoming do it all types is not logical.

[@KausnHavok]

@@imjashingyou3461 when was the last dedicated fighter platform? Only one I can think of is the F-14 and that went out when the FA-18 replaced it. In this age when avionics and sensor are much more emphasized, dedicated platforms does not make sense.

[@JESUSJOE2010]

You retire what is considered the best dog fighter in the world before it’s shelf life? Especially when Russia and China are releasing their stealth fighters. This is a special kind of stupid

[@steveperreira5850]

I think I heard the article accurately, the F 22 will be replaced simultaneously with the introduction of a sixth generation fighter that is way more cost effective and way more capable, hopefully autonomous without a goddamn pilot, because a pilot is a future prisoner of war.

[@failediqtest7485]

It's really because the people at the top have jobs lined up with Lockheed and since this was not made by that company they dont like it, you really think it's because of cost? it's not because the f35 program cost so much more then the f22, these people are so god damn corrupt and that is the reason America is now retiring a perfectly good fighter

[@valkyrie9958]

That means ! Let’s build the F4 phantom all over again ! Love it

[@blinthepannkek6173]

"We are evolving, just backwards."

[@downix]

The F-4 is still in service in a few nations for good reason: it works

[@blinthepannkek6173]

@@downix good point actually... As long as they can be maintained or given the upgrades it needs, it sure will still stay in service.

[@troyb.4101]

Not enough fuel to feed them!

[@valkyrie9958]

On a serious note I will say it over and over again! History repeats itself, we r forgetting why we won ww2 ! Mass production!!!!!!!!overwhelm the enemy otherwise we would be speaking German!!!! We r creating machines that are completely dependent on maintenance and logistics so advanced that require an entire Air Force to make them work and are soooo expensive that we cannot afford to lose them , we r going backwards, just a thought!!!!!! I’m really concerned about our capacity to deal with a capable opponent!

[@randyross5630]

I guess they think the coming 6th Gen Fighter will be far more cost effective per flight hour! And need to allocate the F-22s Funds for the coming 6th Gen Air Fleet! But they better be putting the F-22s all wrapped up nice in some Hangers in a Dry Desert, and just add some Fluid and they are Ready to Go! It would be so Stupid not to have those things stored really really nice!

[@Frost-01]

they can actually do that, i forgot which place it is in US that bone yard is located, but its so dry and non humid u can store planes there and they wouldnt rust at all and stay in prestine condition.

[@randyross5630]

@@Frost-01 I am not talking about the Bone Yard, but there Own Hangers, Ready to Go again if needed! They put so many ww2 Ships in the Great Lakes and let them all Rust, couldn't even pull them ashore, sand them, paint them, and wrap them in plastic! Military are Idiots! Spoiled Brats, and they need to learn how to properly put their Toys away!

[@Zachomara]

@@randyross5630 Honestly a part of that is budget considerations. I was thinking the same after our chaplain's humvee rusted out in Korea.

[@randyross5630]

@@Zachomara It doesn't matter its Out Of Line! They should have Huge Steel Rails, and Service all those Ships every x amount of years, and Retire them Early! Sand them, Paint them, put them in a Plastic Wrap, maybe a Building even, and fill that Building with other Gases than Oxygen! And Save them!! Its Bullshit! You save when you can, now we can, but we don't and oneday we will regret it!

[@jc.1191]

I hope we sell those f22 being retired to our allies who need them.

[@TornadoADV]

Let's just talk about how the US refuses to update it's G-Suit to something modern like the Libelle.

[@Badger13x]

I see the Skunk works are using computers to design, produce and optimise the whole build process to make things quicker looks like Skynet may be here quicker than we think.

[@bigchunk1]

Still a place for the F-15! Bless that bird.

[@LordAshura]

F-22 and F-35 are never gonna be workhorse jets like the F-15 and F-16 are.

[@ThoseWhoKnowBalkan]

@@LordAshura that's true

[@themodernwarfarehistorian825]

The A-10 is the flying version of the Queen of England lol

[@bigal6352]

What does Elton John have to do with it??

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

A figurehead?

[@josephphillips865]

More like the B-52.

[@ericmyrs]

If it ain't broke, why fix it

[@andrewmoore7022]

@@ericmyrs just because something isn't broke doesn't mean it's not less effective

[@luisislas2162]

They are dope as hell. I didn't know about the disadvantages over the F35...

[@diegoviniciomejiaquesada4754]

The A-10 is inmortal. You will never replace him.

[@6ft8incyclist]

Totally different birds Yours is an Attack Aircraft and this is a fighter.

[@Chrinik]

@@6ft8incyclist Yes but the Video mentioned the A-10 being retained aswell.

[@glee21012]

The A-10 is pushing 50 and cannot do Air Superiority. It is for air to ground support, Apples and Oranges. Other than that role, it is useless.

[@diegoviniciomejiaquesada4754]

@@glee21012 ​ @6ft8incyclist Yeah, but they "pretend" to change the Flying Gun (A-10) with a F-35. That's a bad joke for the ground troops. How much ordnance, and air to land fire power can a F-35 bring to the battlefield compared to the good old A-10?

[@glee21012]

@@diegoviniciomejiaquesada4754 Most air support during the Afghan campaign has been from other platforms, such as the B1-B, F-15s, F16s, etc. The A-10 is only good at one thing, it is old, and is expensive to maintain - it was designed to destroy tank columns. A precision munition can be launched from anything, even a UAS, so what's your point? You think the big Gatling gun is cool (you need to see the big picture), even though it only can fire for a minute before it runs out. I retired from the USAF, I have some clue as to what I am talking about. You are just an A-10 fanboy.

[@gureno19]

I wonder how close we are to learning more about this "tic tac" with the rate of declassification and information being trickled to the public...

[@4loops43]

Or....the tic tac is the enemies so they know they need a better plane?

[@gureno19]

@@4loops43 a "plane" in even its most advanced configuration cant touch what that "tic tac" did to those super hornets.... it goes beyond our basic principles of physics and flight.

[@davet80000]

report is due next month, looking forward to (probably nothing substantial)

[@gureno19]

@UC9VRlZoq_2aGJCwqKKpvdnw yeah most theories suggest is creates a field around the craft, and its entire propopulsion system is based upon manipulating gravity.

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

We’re about to unveil our UFO tech.

[@asmaar566]

tractor beam go brr

[@karlhans6678]

lol i was thinking the same thing. they have something better on its way.

[@RsRj-qd2cg]

We are in another cold war with China. Fighter jets do not usually have long service lives during arms races. Only reason the F-1x fighters lasted so long was that the Soviet Union fell, leaving potential enemies with MiG-29s and Su-27s (many of them without the money to fly for many years). Now that China and Russia are deploying/close to deploying 5th gen fighters, the USAF will have to speed up the transition to 6th gen, or possibly stopgap 5.5 gen aircraft. If the Soviet Union didn't fall and demonstrators like the Mikoyan 1.44 and Su-57 had been further developed, the F-22 would've probably been retired around 2015, or matured into some kind of super F-22 the way the F-18 turned into the F/A-18.

[@DefenderDomain1046]

When the f 22 ritair a legendary era is finished

[@AnimalMother207]

boring drone aircraft has began

[@thanosmom9118]

@@AnimalMother207 Drone wars might be a thin in the skies. While soldiers will have advanced equipment and fight underground and in sub urban areas.

[@TheAdam1701]

Lol, bold claim for an aircraft that has never scored a single air victory.

[@babygorilla4233]

The F-22 may just go down as the best engineered money fire ever.

[@FireChicken747]

Yes and among one of the best looking fighter jets two

[@babygorilla4233]

@@FireChicken747 ya its very cool. But the tomcat wins my heart by being simple and deadly effective.

[@Truth.Justice5974]

Thanks for the good report, Binkov.

[@kittyhawk3831]

Another amazing plane that is still gonna be outlived by the B-52

[@thearisen7301]

Wouldn't it be funny if this 6th gen 22 replacement was an updated YF-23? It'd explain how it was ready & flying so quickly

[@anuvisraa5786]

more probabli is somten like the fb 22 and it will take years to put in production

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

Yeah. The YF-23 airframe is insane. It can pull all the high-alpha maneuvers the F-22 can without the thrust vectoring nozzles.

[@jonahhekmatyar]

That moment when your aircraft's greatest cause of attrition is hurricanes and poor storage conditions

[@donald8066]

And the A - 10 is still flying, only with hopes and Band aid.

[@ГеоргийМурзич]

Welp, that's understandable. F-22 is just an obsolete airframe with limited multirole capabilities

[@simonm1447]

The F-22 is a air superiority fighter, not a multirole aircraft. It was never designed to be one, and air superiority fighters are usually more expensive than multirole aircraft

[@aniksamiurrahman6365]

And remember Binkov may talk about hypothetical wars, but only peace can bring us together.

[@DefenderDomain1046]

F22 is sign of American dominance

[@alexinc.1128]

It's replacement may be an even stronger sign

[@williampaz2092]

The US Navy has also had new generation fighter “in the works” for some time. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get any details about it.

[@codename1176]

I’m more excited for the new missiles and micro torpedoes

[@chavo4265]

I love Raptors, I won't tell you where I work but I see them flying pretty often and they are very powerful, so capable and yes awesome!

[@snowness110]

That is heartbreaking 😢

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

Maybe this will make you happy. Neither China, nor Russia have been able to field a 5th gen fighter. China can't even create one without stealing technology, and even then, they don't have the industrial base to create the composite materials that makeup the components of the engines. And when they do final have a working 5th gen fighter, both countries combined won't be able to field half the number of fighters that the USAF could. Oh yes, that's half the numbers of a 5th gen fighter VS a US 6th gen fighter. Lastly, I wouldn't be surprised if the F-22 ends up serving for 10 years or so in Air National Guard units after it is pulled off the front lines. :)

[@LILKRANKIN]

@@helifanodobezanozi7689 I just hope it isn’t going away indefinitely. I just recently got into aviation and the F-22 was the aircraft that introduced me to it.

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

@@LILKRANKIN Well, the way I see it, we all have something better to look forward to. A 6th generation fighter that can be networked better, is cheaper to build, cheaper to fly, and can outperform the Raptor.

[@LILKRANKIN]

@@helifanodobezanozi7689 I just hope it looks as good as the raptor and isn’t just an unmanned drone. I like aircraft that can actually be flown by a person.

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

@@LILKRANKIN If I were to make a guess, I would say we are going to get "all of the above." First, they just approved the F-15EX as a long range missile platform, so at least for the next decade or three, you'll have pilots there. Secondly, there will most likely be drone wing men (i.e. a swarm) covering the Gen 6 fighter, and possibly doing most of the direct fighting. I believe the Gen 6 fighter will be manned, fast and stealthy. To make a football analogy, it will be the quarterback, the F-15EX will be linebackers/ wide receivers (firing the non-stealthy long range ordinance) and the drones will be the linemen. The problem with the Raptor is it can't easily network with other aircraft, so it can't be the quarterback. Also, for the time being, the military may be more comfortable with a human onsite making the decision to fire rather than an AI.

[@justinmcclung6030]

It's the F-35 I'm skeptical of.

[@Bbouy1HD]

y u shouldn't be at all

[@derekwinston4105]

The f-22 was obsolete when it was introduced and the pentagon knows this. The future of air superiority fighters will be unmanned and have a high degree of autonomy.

[@Badger13x]

Most probably all be drones in the future, small , cheap, mass produced with AI controlling them. Limiting factor on airframe performance is the squishy organics in the system.

[@MalfosRanger]

Right, because no one ever over-gs their equipment, G-LOC is the sole factor preventing a structurally complex airframe from pulling the gs of a structurally simple missile. /s

[@puellamservumaddominum6180]

How are drone cheap US military drones cost between 100 million to 400 million. How is that cheap?

[@combativeThinker]

@@MalfosRanger The F-16 is so agile that it can pull maneuvers that its human pilot cannot physically endure. Remove the pilot and the already formidable airframe becomes even deadlier.

[@123kingvlad]

I hope they keep them in some hangars so when they're needed, they can reactivate them right away. Cheers!

[@curiousentertainment3008]

Knowing our government it’ll just part them out and scrap them.

[@StBonaventure07]

@@curiousentertainment3008 They kept the nighthawk in service long after they said they retired it incase shtf they will probably do the same with a good amount of F-22s

[@mickeyg7219]

@@curiousentertainment3008 It's more likely that they'll be stored in the 309th AMARG (home to over 1000+ F-16A/B), and probably kept some flying for testing purpose like the F-117. It's unlikely that aircraft stored at 309th AMARG will ever return to service, but some of them will remain airworthy for quite a time. Scrapping is not a cheap process compared to just put a vinyl sheet over it in the desert.

[@appa609]

Considering their attitude towards exports, they might actually cut them up and dispose them immediately to prevent other people from getting it... just like the tomcats. Poor fucking planes.

[@andymacmac9151]

@ComeGetIt Monty they will never sell the f22’s..... they will be kept in a fly able condition in secure storage when they are eventually replaced.

[@vader4418]

Believe me Soviet Union wouldn't stand a chance against Nazi Germany 1943 if it was 1v1

[@KMACKTIME]

Yo buddy, you still alive?

[@seanshin1615]

_Spanish guitar strumming in the background_

[@badgerbolloacks]

It means the new air dominance fighter is well on its way!!! and I'm freekin' excited! I have big hopes that the new fighter will make everyone else's look like biplanes.

[@sleepnaught]

Doubtful, after the F-22/F-35 outrageous price tag and being way overbudget, they'll likely shoot for something more off the shelf and cost effective, while being able to procure large numbers of them. B-21 Raider is taking that approach and I bet it will be successful. Wonder weapons like the F-22/F-35 are just a money pit.

[@GeneralChangFromDanang]

@@sleepnaught Modified Cessna Skyhawks.

[@cheveuxjaunes2782]

Your note the only contry who build 6 gen figther

[@brisbare10]

Lot of information in this commentary. Well done

[@dsmith5940]

Two other F22 limitations in 2021: the pilot, and stealth’s gently reducing advantage. 6th Gen aircraft will probably be pilot-optional, have robotic wingmen, and use airspeed and networking, as much as stealth, to be in the right place and the right time - safely. The F22 was pre-Internet, basically

[@glenn_r_frank_author]

I thought helmet mounted displays were part of the F-22 ... surprised they don't have them or work with current ones. Is that because they use a propitiatory/dedicated helmet or that they don't have them at all?

[@854gabryel]

Yeah, I'm no expert but why couldn't they just mount a different helmet?

[@dankomatkovic9586]

Glenn R. Frank HMD weren't yet mature when the Raptor's combat systems were developed, or at least the USAF didn't have them on its shelf. Quoting Wikipedia: The U.S., UK, and Germany pursued a HMD combined with ASRAAM systems. Technical difficulties led to the U.S. abandoning ASRAAM, instead funding development of the AIM-9X and the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System in 1990. American and European fighter HMDs became widely used in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

[@zoka7108]

@@854gabryel No. If the aircraft's avionics don't support it wouldn't work. Aircraft have a very complex network of computers and sensors. You may need to modify the entire avionics system of the aircraft to add a simple thing.

[@edbrackin]

Excellent update.

[@seanthe100]

Although sad, I think it's smart the enemy has been building aircraft to counter the F-22, but with no F-22 those efforts are in vein.

[@MFPRego]

Wich enemy?

[@ramirezyoutubeyt2373]

@@MFPRego idk maybe Russia

[@ramirezyoutubeyt2373]

@@MFPRego But the F22 Beats the Su57 tho

[@ramirezyoutubeyt2373]

@@MFPRego no no Russia it is because Russia keeps criticizing us I know about the Su57 I'm just sayin that the F22 is better then the Su57 Because of Better radar the. F22 can detect the Su57 faster And before the Jammer comes in it will be shot down

[@ramirezyoutubeyt2373]

@@MFPRego bruh Keeping Good relations with the west Russia and the Russian People keeps criticizing Us and in the Future Russia is no longer a superpower in 2050 china will become first India 2nd USA 3rd Russia 9th brazil will even become more powerful Then Russia

[@epic_strategist8575]

read about f15ex in smthsonian air and space magazine. did not know about this

[@alexcheetah79]

Jesus christ Imagine seeing a F15 still in use in the 22 century. It will be the equivlant of seeing a WWII fighter today.

[@fluffysheap]

The F-22 was a lesson in how to build an advanced fighter. The F-35 was a lesson in how to NOT build an advanced fighter. The next generation can take those lessons and build them into something that will be not only powerful but practical. Or, they could screw it all up again.