US Air Force F-22 Aircraft

[SciTechPress]

WORLDS MOST FEARED US Air Force F-22 Aircraft ready to make the Russians jealous

A great demonstration of the US Air Force F-22 Aircraft which is considered the worst nightmare for the S-400 missile air defense system. TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Four Tyndall F-22 Raptors and approximately 60 Airmen assigned to the 325 Fighter Wing arrived at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, today to train with allied air forces and U.S. services through mid-September.

This first-ever F-22 training deployment to Europe is funded by the European Reassurance Initiative, and provides support to bolster the security of our NATO allies and partners in Europe.

“This inaugural Raptor training deployment is the perfect opportunity for these advanced aircraft to train alongside other U.S. Air Force aircraft, joint partners and NATO allies,” said General Frank Gorenc, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa commander.

The training will prove that 5th generation fighters can deploy successfully to European bases and other NATO installations while also affording the chance for familiarization flight training within the European theater. It will also give them the chance to conduct combat air training with different aircraft like U.S. F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons.

“It’s important we test our infrastructure, aircraft capabilities and the talented Airmen and allies who will host 5th generation aircraft in Europe,” said Gorenc. “This deployment advances our airpower evolution and demonstrates our resolve and commitment to European safety and security.”

Video Description Credit: Airman 1st Class Sergio Gamboa

Video Credit: Airman 1st Class Nicolas Myers

Video Thumbnail credit: Rob Shenk from Great Falls, VA, USA This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Licence link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/… This Photo Modified by ArmedForcesUpdate

via ScitechPress.org

[Money & Finance]

The Tyndall F-22 problem is part of a larger F-22 problem. The USAF has a little over 180 F-22s in inventory. Of that 180 only about 120 are flyable. The other 60 or so are long term hanger queens that are useful for cannibalizing parts. Of the 120 that can fly, there is an availability rate of about 50% versus a Pentagon mandate for 80% availability. We probably only have around 60 F-22s to cover the entire world on any given day. That is part of the reason why the F-22 platforms hang around the US in places like Washington DC, Panama City, Honolulu, and Anchorage. They are in a defensive posture, guarding the US. There are hardly enough F-22s flying for the pilots to get the flight hours that they need to stay proficient.

This F-22 readiness issue is caused by money. The USAF doesn't have the budget to operate at full capacity, so they cut operating budgets where they must. The F-22 hasn't been a full fledged weapons system since Congress cut the build order to 187 units, and they are so expensive to maintain that there is good savings by not doing the repairs, so the F-22 is an operational component that is ripe for cuts.

The F-22 inventory is scheduled for major upgrades to each platform over the next few years. During that time, Pentagon budget officials and Congressmen are going to look at the F-22 for justification for those upgrades. The US Navy and US Marines have no reason to support F-22 upgrades because the F-22 upgrades take money out of their budgets.

In the aftermath of the 187 platform decision, the Pentagon fully funded the F-35 program because that program could supply the number of new, 5th generation fighters that the USAF, US Navy, and US Marines need. All three services that fly fighters could get behind the F-35 program because they each have a variant or two of the F-35. Yes, the F-35 program eats cash like crazy. By the end of 2018, there will be about 350 operational F-35s. Around 250 of them will belong to the US. All parts for F-35s are in mass production at this time, so there shouldn't be F-35 hanger queens. Even the old F-35s at Eglin AFB will be upgraded to block 3F or 4F capability. As the ALIS support system starts functioning properly and maintenance units get experienced, the F-35 availability rate and flight hours per platform will start to approach the levels of previous platforms. More money will be needed for the F-35 program to be fully implemented.

When everything is right, the F-22 is a beautiful airplane. It looks great at airshows when it does that quick turnaround that totally kills its airspeed. There aren't enough of them for the program to ever be fully functional. They will continue to sit around in WWII hangers with inadequate protection.

I would love for a high level Pentagon official to shed some light on this situation. The American taxpayer needs to know.

Why did we lose 17 F-22 fighters in Hurricane Michael? Why were they not evacuated?

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