The point is we don’t KNOW who we may be fighting. Beside the number of F-22s needed is not based on fighting anyone specificly but how many are needed in order for the USAF to be able to do what is asked of it — and not just today but in the decades to come.

The last time you checked the F-15 & F/A-18 vs potential adversaries must have been some time in the last cetury.

If this plane had entered production when it was completed and ready 10 years ago we would have a plane that costs half as much and would be 10 years ahead in production. I would be happy with that plane, but 15 years after the design shoul not be when we finally start buying them in numbers that’s 15 years of money we should have never spent.

“The President is an anti anything military far far far left hack, the Secretary of Defense doesn’t have a clue and the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Air Force Chief of Staff, and the Secretary of the Air Force are all in job protection mode & thus saying “yes sir” to what ever Obama &/or Gates say. Note that the previous Air Force Chief of Staff & Secretary of the Air Force were fired due to their very focal support for more F-22. Don’t believe that BS that it was about the problems with the handling of nuclear weapons there is nothing either of them could have done about it.”

Obama increased the defense budget, period. He increased it 4 — 9% (depending on source) higher than Bush requested for 2010. This does not include the 160+ billion he’s requested for Iraq and Afghanistan. To say he’s anti-military is ignorant and makes you look like a foaming misinformed person who will never be happy with a Democrat in office.

Gates was Bush’s SecDef. So, yeah, I guess you just hate the guy.

Some of us would say that the President, McCain, and Gates are realists. They realize that you can’t win a war with pretty toys that you can’t field in meaningful numbers. They realize that the battlefield has changed and that you can’t throw air-superiority fighters against 10 guys in a straw hut using AKs and expect to win. You need to spend that money on equipment and tech that will win the war, not stuff that makes you feel good about how awesome your air force is.

Cost analysis will be part of a military purchase program from now on. We should also consider the lost money due to no bid contracts even thought it was on the service support side
and not weapon’s procurement.

1. In 2004 every study/evaluation into the number of F-22s needed came up with number greater than 260 & the only one to take into account the real requiremnts of the USAF (as appose to some arbitrarily made up “scenario”) was conducted by the USAF & that number was 381 — enough for 1.5 squadrons for each of the 10 AEFs plus trainaing, maitenance & attrition reserves. But there were those in the DOD (& elsewhere in the government — & I am not even talking about the typical anti-military leftist) with a personal vendetta against the F-22 & had sought to cut & or cancel it for years & thus created a completely BS evaluation to “justify” some number they could “agree” to in order to end the program ASAP.

2. Complete BS. The gap is very much real. I would expect McCain to know better that to fall for the BS that the only conflicts we will ever fight again will be similar to the current conflict in Iraq & Afghanistan. Quite the opposite to this flawed premis, threats other than “irregular” forces do exist & potential future adversaried are significantly upgrading their forces but the US is supposed to ignore them (& risk losing a future conflict) in order to do bearly mearsurable betting in conflicts that we are presently winning & which present no significant military threat.

3. It isn’t even budget driven. There is PLENTY of money in the budget for continuing to procure F-22s. Thge ‘decision’ to cut the F-22 was made some time ago even at a time when the defense budget was increasing.

The worst part is that they aren’t even saving any money cutting the F-22. They are simply using money that should/would be used to but F-22 to but more (as costly as the F-22) LRIP F-35s. And not to INCREASE the number of F-35s, just to buy more sooner at higher costs than is sticking with the schedule for F-35 procurement.

4. LOL. We most likely won’t even get enough F-35’s quickly enough to replace the aircraft they ARE intended to replace much less the F-15C (& now F-117s) the F-22 is supposed to be replacing.

5. The whole argument is irrelavent anyway. We need more F-22s reguardless of how well the the F-35 program is or is not doing.

And a final note to McCains final BS statement…

The President is an anti anything military far far far left hack, the Secretary of Defense doesn’t have a clue and the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Air Force Chief of Staff, and the Secretary of the Air Force are all in job protection mode & thus saying “yes sir” to what ever Obama &/or Gates say. Note that the previous Air Force Chief of Staff & Secretary of the Air Force were fired due to their very focal support for more F-22. Don’t believe that BS that it was about the problems with the handling of nuclear weapons there is nothing either of them could have done about it.

The previous

a leftist George Soros funded group.

As much as the F-35 will be a great multi-role fighter like the F-16, it is not as fast, stealthy, or maneuverable as the F-22A. Its radar is somewhat less powerful, and its range while comparable does not beat that of the Raptor.

Upgrades to the F-22A could include a helmet mounted cuing system, capability for JSSAM and JSOW, and an IRST system. Lets not forget the FB-22 proposal, which could eventually replace the F-15E, and fill a role the F-111 once had.