Free Republic

Not a fair fight. Key point: It would be much smarter for Iran to use asymmetric means to take on the United States instead of challenging America in the air. With the United States withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal with Iran, a war with Tehran seems to be a distinct possibility. In the event of a military conflict between Washington and Tehran, there is also the ever growing possibility that the White House might seek regime change in Iran. A full-scale military campaign against Iran would require the United States to destroy the Iranian air...

Col. Kevin Robbins still remembers the first time he saw the F-22 Raptor. He was driving near the flightline of then Langley Air Force Base when he heard a load roar and saw a plane streak across his field of vision and start performing several aerial maneuvers. He stopped the car, got out and stared in amazement. An F-15 Eagle pilot himself, the colonel couldn't believe what he was seeing. "This plane was doing things that shouldn't be possible in a jet," he said. "I just kept thinking that if anyone tried that in any other plane, he'd be dead."...

What else can the U.S. Air Force F-22A Raptor stealth fighter jet do?

Hopefully, you will never find yourself in air-to-air combat with a Lockheed Martin F-22, particularly if you happen to be flying any other fighter besides an F-22. The Raptor still boasts a 30:1 kill ratio in mock dogfights (the only kind of dogfight, alas, the F-22 has ever known). Notice, however, the ":1" part of the ratio expression. That's the proof: The F-22 can be shot down. But how?

One Raptor, one Eagle on a training sortie high above the Gulf of Mexico, USA. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20060914.htm ( medium, large, huge) The Photographer Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr., United States Air Force  

"Air Force Secretary Michael Donley this week shed a tiny bit more light on the whole mystery surrounding the lack of an appearance by the F-22 Raptor in the skies above Libya during Operation Odyssey Dawn, saying the plane would have been used if it was needed. "Donley told a reporter at a Tuesday morning breakfast in Washington that the plane would have flown in Libya if its capabilities were viewed as a requirement for the operation. When pressed for more on what capabilities were needed, he waited a few seconds before saying, 'multirole, maybe?'” Two USAF F-22A Raptors intercept...

"Former Air Force ISR chief, Lt. Gen. David Deptula, just isn't buying the explanation given by Air Force leaders last week that distance is what kept the F-22 Raptor out of Operation Odyssey Dawn. "Instead, political reasons likely kept the most advanced jet on Earth out of the fight, according to Deptula, an early advocate of using the jet to enforce the no-fly zone in Libya. Basically, the F-22's stealth would have negated much of the official need for coalition help since the jet is almost completely immune to Libya's ancient air defenses..." USAF B-2 Sprit and USAF F-22A Raptors...

The Air Force's super-stealthy F-22 Raptor fighters likely would see their first combat action if a no-fly zone is set up by the U.S. and its allies over Libya, a senior defense official said Thursday. Under questioning from Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said it would be his "expectation" that F-22 fighters "would be in use" during "the early days" of a no-fly zone mission.

"The Air Force has significant excess capacity for the Libya mission," the veteran fighter pilot says. "It is the perfect scenario for the F-22 and F-16CJ Wild Weasels that are currently not engaged in Afghanistan. The Air Force's bread-and-butter mission is to take down sophisticated, integrated air defense systems, attack air bases to render them unusable, destroy any radars that emit, and clear the skies of any aircraft in flight. After an intense, 24-48-hr. campaign, enforcing the no-fly zone is a routine operation."

One Raptor, one flare, high above the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. of A. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm (medium, large, huge) The Photographer Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr., United States Air Force  

Photo No. 1 Photo No. 2 Photo No. 3 Photo No. 4 Photo No. 5 Photo No. 6 Photo No. 7 The Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm (photos 25 and 26)   The Photographer Major Michael S. Humphreys, United States Army   The Video NORAD and Russian Air Force Participate in Air Defense Exercise  

Photo 1: USAF F-22A Raptor stealth fighters fly over the Western Pacific Ocean, 16 February 2010. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm (medium, large, huge) Photo 2: USAF F-22A Raptors continue their flight over the Western Pacific Ocean, 16 February 2010. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm (medium, large) The Photographer Staff Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey, United States Air Force  

The Air Force is seeking permission from Congress to shift $215 million out of lower-priority procurement accounts to stock up on spare engines for the F-22A Raptor fleet in the wake of concerns about future availability, according to a Pentagon budget document. This move is one of many fiscal year 2010 budget adjustments to Air Force, Army and Navy modernization accounts detailed in a 25-page reprogramming action that Robert Hale, Pentagon comptroller, sent to Congress on June 11, seeking to shift funds totaling $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2010 funds from lower- to higher-priority needs. “Funds are required to procure...

Ah, I'm so relieved that things are getting back to normal. I spent my formative years enraptured with the thrill of drop drills ('duck and cover;' remember that?) strategic missile gaps, the space race, submarine cat-and-mouse, missiles in Cuba, and other delights of the Cold War.

Near Guam "Tip of the Spear" USA, Feburary 17, 2010: 2100 x 1330 pixels + 3030 x 1920 pixels + 3768 x 2388 pixels via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm The Photographer Staff Sgt. Andy M. Kin, United States Air Force   USAF F-22A Raptor Thought of the Day From the February 21, 2007 article "Raptors wield 'unfair' advantage at Red Flag" by Tech. Sgt. Russell Wicke  http://www.acc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123041831   When the Raptor finds itself in a dogfight, it is no longer beyond visual range, but the advantage of stealth isn't diminished. It maintains "high ground" even at close range. "I can't see the [expletive deleted]...

Intercept/Escort Photo 1 -- U.S Air Force (USAF) F-22A Raptor stealth fighter jet behind a Russian Tu-95MS "Bear" strategic heavy bomber near Alaskan NORAD Region airspace, 22 November 2007: 1260 x 945 pixels + 2000 x 1500 pixels + 3072 x 2304 pixels via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20050822.htm (photo 10) Intercept/Escort Photo 2 -- USAF F-22A Raptor side by side with a Russian Tu-95MS "Bear" bomber near Alaskan NORAD Region airspace, 22 November 2007: 1260 x 945 pixels + 2000 x 1500 pixels + 3072 x 2304 pixels via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20050822.htm (photo 11) Intercept/Escort Photo 3 -- USAF F-22A Raptor flies above a...

USAF F-22A Raptor stealth fighter jets over Virginia, USA: 2000 x 1418 pixels + 3000 x 2126 pixels + 3392 x 2404 pixels via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm The Photographer Staff Sgt. Samuel Rogers, United States Air Force  

3720 x 2475 pixels - 3006 x 2000 pixels - 2000 x 1330 pixels - via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm The Photographer Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller, United States Air Force   USAF F-22A Raptor Thought of the Day From the April 27, 2010 article "F-22 Raptor to star at this weekend's air show" by Jerry Soifer  http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_W_wair28.25fe59d.html   The F-22 has been deployed to the Mideast theater but has not been used in combat operations over Iraq and Afghanistan. Four F-22s flew over Washington, D.C., for security purposes during the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The F-22s are on constant alert around the...

4000 x 2662 pixels . . . 3005 x 2000 pixels . . . 2103 x 1400 pixels . . . via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm The Photographer Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller, United States Air Force  

There could be some bad news on the horizon for the F-35 Lightning II. Senior Air Force staff are saying that cost overruns might cause an automatic Congressional review of the F-35 program -- already the most expensive weapon procurement program in U.S. history, at about $300 billion. The news is roiling an ongoing debate over the future of U.S. warplanes: The F-35 (developed under the Joint Strike Fighter program and still in development) is on one side. The F-22 Raptor, currently flying in the Air Force fleet, is on the other. But why? These airplanes are built for different...