F-22:"Congress says my production, maintenance, and upgrades are all too much to be financially worthwhile!" F-14:"First time?"

@Khobai

Жыл бұрын

The F-14 was retired because Rumsfeld and his buddies tried to hostile takeover Grumman and the employees of Grumman thwarted the attempt. So Rumsfeld made sure Grumman didnt get the contract for the Super Tomcat even though the F/A-18 was a far less capable aircraft. The F-14 being too expensive and difficult to maintain to such an extent that it needed to be retired was simply not true; especially since the super tomcat wouldve solved a lot of the maintenance and cost issues. That was just the BS excuse Rumsfeld gave.

@henrycarlson7514

Жыл бұрын

@@Khobai Thank You , Thomas Cattus Baddus

@mikebridges20

Жыл бұрын

@@jeremycox571 Not when you factor in inflation; they were pretty equivalent, astonishing as that is.

@Just_A_Random_Desk

Жыл бұрын

@@jeremycox571 those fighters are primitive compared to what's fielded today, they'd just be target practice for any enemy nation.

@everydaydose7779

Жыл бұрын

They are retiring it to preserve the airframe and coating meanhwile there is still no real threat of stealth fighters

The Raptor is a true engineering masterpiece. Over 20 years old and still the most capable, advanced, and deadly fighter on earth. I cant imagine how insane the 6th gen.

@hogansheroes2793

Жыл бұрын

It entered service in 2005. The F-35 entered service in 2015. I see no reason why the F-22 can't be updated.

@xfactor6099

Жыл бұрын

stop blowing your own trumphet. Its cringy. Hailing american tech is like D student patting himself on the back because he is better than a room full of F grade students.

@clonecommandermike332

Жыл бұрын

@@hogansheroes2793 The costs would probably outweigh the benefits.

@dianapennepacker6854

Жыл бұрын

@@hogansheroes2793 I think they decided because the airframes are aging and technology has progressed so much in twenty years. Instead of having to spend the huge capital to jumpstart the manufacturing of it they decided to spend it on a newer one. I know they won't give any information but hopefully that one stealth ceramic that is much more durable, lasts longer, withstand extreme hot and cold temperatures while absorbing more is being used. From what I understand they've made and tested it. It just needs to figure out how to manufacture it en masse and worked with I guess.

@Mordalo

Жыл бұрын

If only that were true. We need to all learn that the US can protect the homeland, yet has virtually no chance to wind a foreign war against a real adversary. Not because of technology, rather because of logistics.

The Raptor is one of my favorite aircraft ever. It has such an iconic silhouette and the capabilities are mind boggling even considering how old it is.

The Raptor was conceptualized, designed, and flew-off at the tail-end of the Cold War, and as such, was originally intended for a quite different world than what actually unfolded. As such, it too was the product of the ensuing drawdown, and suffered cuts in its production line, which drove up the cost per unit and curtailed its eventual roll-out into operational squadrons. All of that said, the F-22 is an impressive machine, and gave us quite the edge in terms of deterrence. The only shame, is that it may never engage an enemy aircraft before its retirement.

@AbcdEfgh-sq2tf

Жыл бұрын

Kinda weird the Raptor was killed not by hostile weapons but by the design criteria it was made for

@TheShoguneagle

Жыл бұрын

@@AbcdEfgh-sq2tf most everything has gone the route of multi-role. The F-16 was designed for dogfighting, and was placed into the Wild Weasel and CAS role; the F-15 evolved into a bomb truck role and has served predominantly in that capacity in the post-Gulf War era. U.S. air dominance, ironically, mitigated most air-to-air engagements in the modern world, at least until Ukraine kicked off.

@AbcdEfgh-sq2tf

Жыл бұрын

@@TheShoguneagle Even in the Ukraine war now, most of the aircrafts shot down was either by a missile, or by ground based anti-aircraft.

@punchthem4582

Жыл бұрын

LOL "Quite a different world"? The world is more dangerous now than at the start of the program. The suffered cuts in the program was the American hating Obama killing it because he hated the military and he wanted to spend the money on social programs. Wake up!

@TheShoguneagle

Жыл бұрын

@@punchthem4582 historically, you’re wrong. The initial order was for over 700 units; the production cuts to said order for F-22 occurred over the course of the 1990’s up through the early 2000’s, down to a final run of 187 aircraft. The Obama Administration has nothing to with it; the post-Cold War drawdown under Clinton and GWB did.

Alex, thanks so much for your content! After spending 14 years as a software engineer on the F-22 program, it was always a topic of frustration that the enemies of the Raptor were successful in castrating the bird's production. I really hope you are correct that the DoD will keep the Raptor in service until NGAD becomes operational. Have a great time with your family, and get a ride in that Extra!

@amitmichaeli9019

Жыл бұрын

The worst decision was not to sell it. F15 users such as Israel, Japan and Saudi-Arabia would all buy it. Israel and Japan waited for the F35 and Saudi Arabia purchased Eurofighters. The more you sell the cheaper production becomes and more bugs you can fix. Export would have given the Pentagon an easier decision to increase USAF deployment.

@xkavarsmith9322

Жыл бұрын

Various military blogs reported that Air Force just replaced the F-15s at Kadena AFB in Japan with F-22s. My guess is they'll remain in service until NGAD shows up in enough numbers to warrant retirement.

@mikebridges20

Жыл бұрын

@@amitmichaeli9019 At that time the Raptor was so classified (way beyond ITAR restrictions) that it would have cost a ton to de-rate it to the point it would be exportable. That's actually one of the design points of the F-35; that it could be detuned to the point it could be exported.

@sapitron

Жыл бұрын

@@mikebridges20 how many hundreds of thousands of lines of code would you estimate for its on-board operative system / firmware? seems like a fascinating piece of software

@mikebridges20

Жыл бұрын

@@sapitron I was just involved with the software development teams that did the aircraft's subsystems that weren't part of the weapon system (for example, fuel, electrical, brakes, hydraulics, flight controls, etc., but not fire control, radar, comms, etc.), and that was around a quarter million lines of code. Biggest thing people don't appreciate is not the number of lines of code, but that we tested literally *EVERY* executable instruction that was generated by those lines of code.

Alex, great video. However I can assure you the F-22 program isn’t even remotely being considered for retirement. As a pilot here at a very large and well known base in Las Vegas I’m here to tell you the program isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s evolving alongside the ever changing and over exaggerated needs of the USAF. The production history of the aircraft in short was terminated mostly as a direct result of certain congressional influence, who essentially didn’t feel the need to continue producing said aircraft since the F-35 program was going to be the USAF’s answer to all potential threats. Which everyone here will probably agree hasn’t been the best decision. The force still heavily relies on 40 plus year old airframes such as the F-16 for example (backbone of ACC just saying) and now the strike eagles after retiring all the F-15C’s in order to transition to the EX….which is a waste of money in my opinion. Even with all the cool bells and whistles and evolving stealth tech, the raptor and lighting combined still can’t do the job. We’re still augmenting their capabilities with 4th and 4.5 Gen aircraft, and what truly seems to be limiting both newer stealth aircraft’s employment capabilities are the overhead cost of maintenance and a lack of parts ( F-35 ENGINES….looking at you Pratt & Whitney…no word yet on the GE adaptive model). You are correct in regards to the evolving threats of both the Chinese and Russians, however they’re tech just isn’t at our level just yet. ( The Russian SU-57 for example is using a basic GARMIN GPS system for navigation, not to mention they’re entire doctrine is heavily focused on the use of Ground controller stations) .We’ve still got a technological buffer that is far superior to anything they can throw at us. Realistically we don’t even need stealth aircraft at this point simply because of our EW and jamming capabilities. Of course this is all just an opinion from someone who sees and works with the tech daily, I predict any large conflicts going forward will strictly be focused on electronic warfare and over the horizon engagements.

@DaytonaRoadster

Жыл бұрын

Not to mention,.the US population has ZERO interest in any military campaign. Between the US Government declaring all White Males as terrorists, the collapse of Afghanistan, the complete joke of Ukraine and Israel failing for the 30th time to derp us into a war with Iran, the American citizens give zero fucks about war right now. Most people haven't had a pay raise in 30 years, people between 20-45 cant afford to buy a home. Men can't find wives. The west is falling apart as a whole, no one is willing to go to war for Juedo-capitalism.

@ryancuda45

Жыл бұрын

@@DaytonaRoadster were talking about retiring a plane lol, lets not get started on current events. the f-22 will not be retired its just to good.

@c0ldyloxproductions324

Жыл бұрын

I disagree the the ex is a wast of money, with a sensor sweat as advanced as the f35, ability to carry more missiles, fly by wire instead of the hydraulic/electronic nightmare of the strike Eagle, more powerful engines the ability to be both a single seat and dual seat platform the f15 ex is an excellent interim fighter to make up the numbers of f22s that weren’t produced till our next gen air superiority fighter comes out, the f15 is also a proven and unbeaten platform that even with the 5th gen fighters in service still sparks a hesitation in enemies to this day and it’s still cheaper than the f35 and all r&d was payed for by foreign prospective buyers

@oneonlynono

Жыл бұрын

Matthew Taylor thank you for the Clarification... God save the King of the Air Force ... why the Royal Australian Air Force never been allowed 🤔 to buy the F22 Raptor ??? Are we not your No1 Alli ? So why ? This is what I hate with the US Government ... we Aussies been following you , supporting you in every of your Wars but still when it comes to sharing Technologies you get Selfish 😉

@c0ldyloxproductions324

Жыл бұрын

@@oneonlynono no one was allowed to buy it, and tbh The f22 if allowed to be exported would have probably gone to either the uk or Israel or Japan first then to Australia and other allies but they f22 was deemed too advanced in the stealth department to be exported hence why the f35 was initially created “which spawned one of the biggest mistakes in American aviation history IMO”

The F-22 achieved IOC while I was in Basic Training in 2005. I've spent my whole career (17+ years now) watching it be an awesome platform. It is absolutely insane that they would even talk about retiring it instead of keeping it around until we have a suitable replacement ready.

@soulsreaper7145

Жыл бұрын

the first time it even had a air to air destroy was the china ballon right?? wild to think its never had real situations

@michaelknabusch6011

Жыл бұрын

@@soulsreaper7145 That we know about lol and they erent just going to retire the jet until the replacement is here And im not talking about the f35 its another type of fighter competely different than the f22s job for air dominance.

@th3merper190

Жыл бұрын

​@@soulsreaper7145 nobody wanted any... ever. Been lots of opportunities. Nobody wanted that smoke, lol😂😂😂.

@xXNITR0MAN356Xx

Жыл бұрын

@@th3merper190 I’d be pissing in my boots if I was a Russian pilot

@jericho1-4

Жыл бұрын

You all do realize the F-22 was never put in combat right, TWO major wars and a shit ton of fighter engagements by other US fighters in the region in the Raptors 25+years in service and it saw none of them. In fact it only had a short skeleton squadron sent to Ramstein AFB in Germany for six months before being recalled to the US in like 2008/2009. It is the fighter that was never put in a fight what's that tell you, is it badass or assed out cause it can't do what you think it can.

Thank you Alex. I had a general idea of the F-22's status, but you filled in the blanks along with the "whys" involved. Nicely produced/executed video. SUBBED

I'm a New Zealander I saw F14 's and F15's in the 1980s they screamed over us (we were fishing) they screamed out to sea at about 1000 feet then just stood on their tails and vanished in a crescendo of engines screaming. Fighting and winning against gravity. Sitting on tails of flame. I'll never forget that assault on the senses. So now i watch you and a few others. And I am extremely grateful for you putting in your time to explain things to us.. I really am interested in the YF23 Black Widow that 'supposedly' lost to the Raptor And something about Japan interested in it. I know they tried to buy the 23 but were blocked. So they are joining up with other US companies to build another stealth plane for Japan.

@totalnerd5674

Жыл бұрын

It would be cool to see these Japanese stealths operating alongside F-35s... I hear they are building a ton of other things too, like 2 AEIGIS battlecruisers

@Aegirak

Жыл бұрын

Japan is building their own defense fighter. And from what I see or have heard speculation, that it’s quite bad ass. It will be able to hold its own against China’s J-20 and Russia’s SU-57.

@gregs7562

Жыл бұрын

@@Aegirak Japan has their own prototype already flying but they've joined Project Tempest alongside the UK, Italy & Sweden.

@Outlaw3280

Жыл бұрын

@@gregs7562yea. The UK is doing a lot of good things with Japan lately, designing, building and training together we also have a defensive alliance with them.

@airthrowDBT

Жыл бұрын

There is a video online of a guy involved in the program deciding between the Raptor and YF23, and he basically said that they both met the spec and than was his only job, I was in your boat before that video but he was completely unemotional about it and it made me think he really didn't have any preference.

Another great video Alex! Thanks for all the work you put into these!

Alex, from all your fans, ”Thank you for your in-depth research and enthusiastic delivery!” Your voice is perfect, never stumbling but measured, as you present complex issues over a wide range of interests. Please keep up the good work. Yes, the king is dead but not forgotten.

A stealth fighter that can dogfight and super cruise? That's going to be a tough act to beat.

@thudthud5423

Жыл бұрын

I think one that can launch more medium and long range air-air missiles might be the key. I can't help to also wonder if a "flying no fly zone aircraft" (NFZA - my own nickname for the idea) might be a real game changer. I don't know if Sandboxx talked about it or some other KZread channel, but the idea of a stealthy large aircraft sporting one or two DEW (Direct Energy Weapon) turrets might bring an end to fighter planes. Imagine a large flying wing moving into a combat zone. Anyone capable of detecting it might be able to launch interceptors and SAMs, but the NFZA would be capable of shooting down anything that got within range of its DEWs, whether they are AA missiles, SAMs, aircraft or drones. With an NFZA or two in place over a combat zone, any friendly plane flying within its range would have free reign to destroy ground targets, provide close air support, etc. with little fear of airborne. Of course, that all is dependent on the effectiveness of DEWs.

@georgepalmer5497

Жыл бұрын

This idea has potential, but I don't know if a large airplane would be the right choice. They might put DEW's on an F35 and see how that works. They could work with the idea and see.

@Snugggg

Жыл бұрын

@@georgepalmer5497 it would need to be a large aircraft in order to carry a power plant large enough to feed the DEW

@thudthud5423

Жыл бұрын

@@georgepalmer5497 In order to generate enough power for the DEWs, the aircraft would have to have multiple engines which would be difficult on a small plane.

@georgepalmer5497

Жыл бұрын

Not enough power to generate power for a laser? Are you sure?

As capable as any fighter may be, if the production lines have been shut down for over a decade, with less than 200 produced, its time is limited. Especially when it requires extensive maintenance to keep all its capabilities in top shape. But there's no denying the influence the F-22 has had in aircraft that came after.

@bighands69

Жыл бұрын

It depends on how it is used. It could be used with other fleets of aircraft including F-35.

@animepussy8356

Жыл бұрын

@bighand69 Yeah, but the Air Force hates dogfighting all of a sudden RIP F-22, gone too soon (Durr, I know dogfighting isn't a thing any more, I've heard of an F35)

@thesupreme8062

Жыл бұрын

@@animepussy8356 dogfighting isnt a thing anymore, the f22 advantages are in its stealth capabilities

@bethcail976

Жыл бұрын

@@animepussy8356 Maybe they hate dogfighting because in modern warfare dogfighting has become redundant in the age of stealth technology

This is one the most complete assessments of my favorite fighter of all time! I think the real reason many of us push back or scoff at the notion of retiring this fighter is because we are emotionally connected to certain platforms for various reasons. The Tomcat was the darling of the post Cold War era and Hollywood served as a conduit to bring that expensive giant to our living rooms. The Raptor was the picture and image of freedom and unmatched dominance. While we had minimal connectivity unlike the Tomcat, many of us waited on the completion of this fighter and grew attached because we waited for it. Very expensive plane to maintain but I’m sure the NGAD will make us forget about the raptor. I think networking and cheaper precision munitions delivery is the way of the future.

@EpochUnlocked

Жыл бұрын

The second reason is that no other platform has exceeded it in capability. Not even the money pit F35.

@rgloria40

9 ай бұрын

The decision the US NAVY Senior management made at the time....Now they are screwed...Deal with it. Reengineer the F35 c and F18 superhornet to fly Mach 2.0 or better.

@hoghogwild

7 ай бұрын

@@rgloria40 Either of those aircraft wouldnt be all that more useful with Mach- capability. It'd take a LOT of work to get a mAch 2 Superhornet. A Supersonic SH with a combat load would be an improvement.

@rgloria40

7 ай бұрын

@@hoghogwild You and I know it is do able however, do we have the people with Right STEM Degrees (living in US and not offshored), resource, access to information, pre planning instruction on how to do it and etc... to ramping up. The problem the US has historically not joint wars "right away" like World War I and World War II. In fact, every war after 1990 was "after" ramping up period. PS What is easier? SuperHornet or Fat AMY.

I remember reading aviation week magazine in the early 90’s when this plane was competing against the YF-23. I was rooting for the 23 because I thought it was better. Seems odd how old the raptor is now given the time that has passed … but 30 years goes by fast.

@jericho1-4

Жыл бұрын

Funny thing is almost everything about the YF-23 is still classified 30 years later yet a five second Google search will tell you everything you want to know about the F-22 Raptor including its only kill was a Chinese BALLON about a month ago, says a lot about the Raptor if you ask me.

@maclain728

11 ай бұрын

⁠@@jericho1-4 Ya it says that the US hasn’t had many air-to-air combat missions since 2005, In fact the only time it’s occurred in the 21st century the raptor wasn’t in theatre due to its small numbers. Fantastic plane that’s unfortunately never been given the opportunity to do what it was designed for

@jericho1-4

11 ай бұрын

@@maclain728 I honestly think it's more than that and that it's not the F-22's fault but the politics around it. Don't get me wrong the F-22 is a very capable platform for its mission design which unfortunately we haven't had to face cause there was and is no country even close to the military technology the US has come out with over the last 20+ years. China use economic development and its production capability to it's advantage instead of expanding its naval or Air Forces to do so. I mean look at the US military, Army Navy Air Force in particular, you would have to combine the twenty next most powerful militaries to even get to half of what the US has. Physical warfare is becoming less useful because of how much it costs to build and maintain such a military, it's one of the reasons why the USSR collapsed and I think if the US isn't careful they will go the same route. The focus is on more technical aspects like rocket systems missiles and drones. In the future the US military is gearing up towards a campaign in the pacific against presumably China yet the Marine Corps is getting rid of a lot of its heavy armor and artillery pieces trimming it's air wing and restructuring its infantry and numbers. An idea that makes very little sense to me especially if your anticipating a rehash or a lot of the fights the Army and Marine Corps had in WW2.

@freddekl1102

8 ай бұрын

@@maclain728 You should be goddamn thankful F-22 was never used because it means deterrence works and world was peaceful enough Use of F-22 against its designated opponent means war with major country and horrific death and destruction, what are you 15 to think it's a shame people weren't killed en masse to show how amazing some product is

@BakaVHS

7 ай бұрын

​@@jericho1-4that's because the YF-23 designs are the private property of Northrop and very likely informed their subsequent projects. They also only built two of them which means operational information was pretty much just need-to-know. The f22 is a globally recognized airframe, many stats and specs public information, but don't fool yourself into thinking any of our exclusive airframes are so boldly presented.

I always have to refrain myself from commenting before I watch the entirety of your videos because you always answer what I have to say. The F-22 still strikes fear into our enemies even if it is decades old. I would argue that it still does not have competition to this day. Advanced stand off munitions basically eliminate the surface to air threats that the F-22 would face in a major conflict. The NGAD had better blow my socks off and there better be at least 200 of them before they even think of getting rid of my baby.

@colinjohnson5515

Жыл бұрын

I agree that the F-22 outclasses the world, but it doesn’t really matter in a war if the other side can counter or work around NGAD dominance. The Ukraine war has taught global militaries about the economics of war. Bean counters want to replace manned fighters with drones but that might be ineffective. It makes me sad that the F-35 flight envelope shrank compared to jets it replaced but over times I’ve come to accept it’s a better fighter for this era.

@treycotter

Жыл бұрын

It’s not a point of how dominant it is. Nobody is denying it’s capabilities, rather the astronomical amount of maintenance and money needed to just keep it in service. We can’t progress if we keep sinking money into old projects which most likely won’t ever see combat.

@ExarchGaming

Жыл бұрын

@@colinjohnson5515 the lightning had it's issues, that have mostly been ironed out, and now we can procure them at significantly cheaper than before, it's this era's version of the F-16 imo. we have them down to 86 mil a pop. that's....great news for our aviation.

@gorillaump5869

Жыл бұрын

My baby? That's not normal.

@DAAllan82

Жыл бұрын

It will be interesting to see the NGAD’s performance. I’m expecting higher range, better stealth, better avionics, but weaker agility. I think the real key is maintenance costs. If they can get that right with newer RAM and perhaps discarding thrust vectoring, it will probably be the better platform for modern air superiority. And with upkeep costs more under control, maybe we get 2 or 3 hundred of them. Heck, maybe more than that if China’s military buildup spooks everyone. I do wonder if, in an ironic twist of fate, the NGAD might suffer the same circumstances as the F-22. China has serious underlying economic problems and 10 years is a long time. We might develop the next super plane only to see the enemy destroyed not from our military, but their own corrupt economy and a demographic problems.

While it may not have been the original plan, I think the value of the F22 has been developing tactics. Some amazing platforms (YF23, X36, F16XL, etc) never go into production and never get tested on exercises like Red Flag. Sometimes it is necessary to test a concept rigorously to drive technological development. Of course, combat is the ultimate test but that's not always possible. As a platform for developing tactics for stealth fighters, we can probably say the Raptor has been a success.

@matthewdyer1568

Жыл бұрын

My only disagreement with you is that the f22 is more capable than any. other. aircraft. ever. made. Radar cross-section the size of a tennis/golf ball (I’ve heard both), super cruising at nearly Mach 2 with no afterburner, absolutely insane maneuvering, nothing on planet earth can challenge it, and even groups of other fighters will fall to just a single f22. What you describe would be like making tactics for the MP5, but giving your troops nothing but .22’s.

@hideakibanno7540

Жыл бұрын

@@matthewdyer1568 The YF-23 was always superior to the 22 lol

@matthewdyer1568

Жыл бұрын

@@hideakibanno7540 except for the fact that when given the chance, the ‘powers that be’ chose the f22 over the f23 to put into production. But what do they know *shrug*

@DaviatorMusic

Жыл бұрын

@@matthewdyer1568 A lot of that was down to some production/delivery deadline issues that Northrop and McD had been having with other aircraft before the competition, along with the fact that Lockheed had no other active fighter production programs and the contract was a lifeline keeping them alive as an airframe producer. Northrop and McD still had active Super Hornet and Spirit programs.

@bobfg3130

Жыл бұрын

Wrong! No F-22 made the F-35 cheaper. Yes, cheaper. It would have been far more expensive without the F-22.

Am I the only one who’s still amazed at how beautiful this plane is? It remains as imposing as the first time I saw it in the Jane’s ATF guide.

@ColCurtis

Жыл бұрын

I loved janes atf gold

@lawfulldick4158

Жыл бұрын

The MOLES in the Pentagon will ensure that no beautiful US planes are ever built. Beauty is a tactic used by Russian designers to cause the enemy to pause and admire for a second, which is enough time for the Rusky to shoot down the UGLY American planes. (OOPS did i give away another Russian top secret?)

@OryxAU

Жыл бұрын

@@lawfulldick4158 u rite

@deathdragon2283

Жыл бұрын

@@lawfulldick4158then it’s a damn good thing all US fighter planes can simply dunk on Russian crap grow beyond visual range

@Iskelderon

Жыл бұрын

Essentially an F-15 that evolved into a new tech generation.

Thanks Alex, I really appreciate the info on your vids. Happy holidays to you and your family.

I often learn just as much from the comments as I do from the video itself. Well not always. The Raptor is one beautiful plane, funny enough, the Raptor and the Tomcat are near the top of my favorites list. The fact that it's still ahead of any other counterpart despite being the older kid on the block speaks volumes. It's great you love what you do. Gives the rest of us knuckle-draggers some hope

@triplemoyagames4195

Жыл бұрын

They're wonderful but shot themselves in the foot. Because they were so ahead of their time, they had nothing to compete with, hence their need is reduced. Like Having a Supercar in a area with no racetracks. The price just isn't worth it anymore

@johnnunn8688

Жыл бұрын

‘Beautiful’, really? Capable yes but for true a truly beautiful jet, look at the Hawker Hunter, F16, F5 etc.

@MotoroidARFC

Жыл бұрын

It has stealth from every angle not just the front. Even its nozzles contributed to its stealth. No other aircraft that is flying now has went that far. There's also something about the air inlets that is satisfying. They look great from the side and from the front but from the bottom the engineering for it becomes visible. That bottom tip of the diamond shape of the intakes is where the engines get their air when supersonic. No need for inlets that nod like the Eagle's. No need for really raked back inlets like the Tomcat's. Its inlets contribute to stealth from multiple angles and still give the engines the air they need to perform. Engineeringly satisfying.

@Mordalo

Жыл бұрын

But they aren't.

@johnnunn8688

Жыл бұрын

@@MotoroidARFC, are you trying to say that the diamond shape creates the shock wave across the inlet, that stops the air entering the engines, from being supersonic?

I’m glad you are humble and consider the audience as a two way respectful discussion. Believe it or not, those of us that are in the industry can still appreciate and gain from viewing your content. Believe me, it’s a dream being able to work in the RDT&E side of the house. I have thanked you in the past for using some of my footage from some of my testing in your opening sequence. Keep up the great work!

Grade A content man. I love all of your work! I found you on TikTok and am glad!

Absolutely fantastic video! Really well put together as is most of your content 👍🏼

Alex, I'm thankful for you! Hearing that you love your job puts a huge smile on my face knowing that I'll continue to be able to watch this incredible content for years to come!

@fibber2u

Жыл бұрын

Blatant Jobism😒someof us are retired and capable of appreciating the content.😉

I hope they're planning to put a few F-22s in museums when it's retired! Would love to see one of these up close! 🤞

@trumptookthevaccine1679

Жыл бұрын

One in dayton

@ropro9817

Жыл бұрын

@@trumptookthevaccine1679 Oh daaaaaaamn, thanks for the tip! 🙇

@trumptookthevaccine1679

Жыл бұрын

@@ropro9817 they also have b2, sr71, yf23, f117, all the x planes

@CakePrincessCelestia

Жыл бұрын

I'd be glad if it ended up in DCS as well... :)

@ropro9817

Жыл бұрын

@@trumptookthevaccine1679 omg, you just lit up my brain... Planning a vacation to Dayton! 🤠

I was part of the development and acquisition of the F22 in 1998-2003. So many careers made and lost over the politics machinations. The original plan was to purchase a large fleet of 300+ but it’s growing costs and numberous hiccups during operational testing put it in Congress cross hairs. Also tne AF kept adding requirements. For example, the original design didn’t have guns but the fighter pilot mafia revolted and so a gun had to be installed. Also to sell the costs the AF also decided to give it air to ground capabilities which was never in the original designs. Just these two adds required major structural changes on an aircraft already in production. So the AF cut the production numbers to ears meager fleet size. It became the AFs “break glass in case of emergency” fighter. Long live the most advanced fighter ever produced.

@BansheeNT-D

10 ай бұрын

+ no export and F/B version was a mistake.

Thank you, Alex, for your seervice and for your awesome, ongoing contributions to journalism. It's a field in desperate need of members with your acumen and integrity.

We wouldn't hear a peep out of China and Russia if Congress had funded the original 749 USAF raptor request.

@Nathan-ty6fd

Жыл бұрын

Reguardless of anything else he did, Obama is the worst president for ending production. Slightly hyperbolic but more or less true

@generalrendar7290

Жыл бұрын

They'd still be talking smack. What's dooming the Raptor is range and the maintenance of its RAM coating. Not to mention the fact that the electronics are not made to take advantage of new technologies coming out.

@PhilipFear

Жыл бұрын

Damned straight‼️😉‼️ And neither of them have a comparable 5th gen. that is Carrier capable.... The Russians don't have a Carrier, and the Communist Red Chinese don't have a plane for their boats that can launch with enough load out....

@Chuck_Hooks

Жыл бұрын

@@generalrendar7290 We know ceramic RAM is coming out. And the F-22--F-35 combo is unbeatable at Red Flag.

@generalrendar7290

Жыл бұрын

@@Chuck_Hooks yet with NGAD coming down the pipeline, it doesn't make sense to keep aircraft in service that you can't replace.

I strongly believe that if stealth continues to improve effectiveness, the dogfighting ability of the F22 will remain relevant because effective 5th gen fighters may not detect each other until they are practically in the merge (at very close range.) Hopefully the NGAD will maintain that thrust vectoring supermaneuvrability, along with improved stealth, sensors, and sensor fusion.

@user-ee1fn4vt8b

Жыл бұрын

And if the stealth is good enough you won’t be able to get a lock even if you can see them so…have to resort to guns.

@wisenber

Жыл бұрын

NGAD is looking more like a high efficiency missile truck with little concern for speed or maneuverability. If any country is able to network lower accuracy radar bands to actually generate a reliable firing solution, stealth isn't going to be of much use. Speed and maneuverability will.

@Durandalski

Жыл бұрын

@@user-ee1fn4vt8b At close range fighters use Fox 2 heat seekers. Jets will always have a hot jet plume and the modern AIM9X missile can even discriminate to some extent between a jet plume and the flares fighters dump to try to juke a heater. Full on BFM may not be necessary, but you still need to maneuver to some extent to effectively send a fox 2, even with a high off bore helmet sight.

@leihtory7423

Жыл бұрын

F-22 is made out of Obsolete Stealth material. materials made in 70-80s Composites have advanced so much since then.

@TheBooban

Жыл бұрын

@@wisenber missile truck? You mean drone truck. Like everything else nowadays, the platform matters less. It’s the weapons technology you put on it that counts. And 6th generation will be about drones. So all the stealth, range, lethality will be on the drones. Not the drone controlling aircraft.

I still find it unbelievable the Air Force didn't select the YF23 competitor with the stealth jet outlets for example. It might not be outfased so soon.

Wow, great video Really enjoyed your analysis and loving this channel

I think a huge reason the F-22 is getting retired is that the advantages it brings to the table are simply not necessary. When the older generations can get the job done for a lot cheaper then it makes sense to just update the old stuff and keep using it. I think they'll definitely keep them around in smaller numbers to continue advancing the concept, but the next fighter will most likely also see only a small production run unless the US finds itself facing off against an opponent of a similar level.

@ElementZephyr

Жыл бұрын

Or just flood the place with more F-35s. Eglin near us has them already.

@VestedUTuber

Жыл бұрын

@@NoBody-pw3kf Thing is, missiles are still not 100% reliable, and jamming countermeasures are definitely on the table at this point (in fact, the F-16 already carries a radar jammer as standard equipment, and IR jamming is viable as well). There's always the chance that you still have to go to guns. It's a lot smaller than it was in Vietnam, but it's still non-zero.

@user-cj9jk1pd4g

Жыл бұрын

@@VestedUTuber It is possible that you'll go to guns, but uh... that's just another requirement on an already long list of things to put on future fighters, which will overcomplicate engineering.

Alex, we appreciate your service in keeping us up-to-date. Your manner of associating your audience with your content is what makes listening to you enjoyable. Thank you!

I think the raptor would be likely to stay in reserve and be used for hyper specific mission criteria. It wouldn’t be a general purpose fighter but in a close air to air conflict it might be used to quickly thin the herd of enemy fighters with more alacrity than an F-35 would be able to. Just some thoughts

@adammcallister9675

Жыл бұрын

It’s already mostly caught up to with Russian jets. Su-57s and the upgrades coming to Su-35s would break its dominance in a sustained war. And they can field way more of them and replace them and pilots faster and cheaper. F22 is better off being replaced bc air defenses and Russian jets would smash them anyways. Its just a waste now.

@ThirdLawPair

11 ай бұрын

I thought of that too, but you would need a set of pilots who train on it regularly. It's good, but it can still lose if the pilot makes a mistake. It currently costs >$10M in training costs per F-22 pilot. Just like the airframe itself, the training program would probably cost more per pilot when you have very few pilots.

@jeromeace1282

11 ай бұрын

@@adammcallister9675 The problem with that assumption is the idea that half the budget for the upgrades didn't end up paying for someone's mansion. Also there are like, 6 SU-57s in total and they are apparently detectable by AWACs in romania even when hanging out near the russian border. Nevermind that russian pilots don't get enough flight hours to actually be good at what they do.

Great episode as always! Thanks!

I will be so sad to see the F-22 go. I think it is the most beautiful machine man has ever built.

@justalpha9138

Жыл бұрын

It was the fighter I remembered the most as a kid during my first air show. And although I love the F-35 nowadays, the F-22 is a machine that I always have rooted for despite the controversy. It now gets the love it deserves.

@I7435IC

Ай бұрын

I don't. The competing YF-23 was, for a stealth Aircraft.

I know I’m a bit late but I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving Alex and thank you for your dedication and insight into these topics. I share your content with my friends that are interested in learning more about military technology.

That intro and big picture perspective is why I love this channel.

First time I watch one of your videos and I'm liking it. A lot ! 🙂 So I subscribed 😎

Alex, as someone who owns every book ever published on the F-22, I fully agree with you. I just want to add the Raptor will have an amazing 2nd life as an Aggressor aircraft since it can easily mimic all other 5th gen fighters. I also hope the Thunderbirds may consider it as a replacement for their F-16s, although I am not sure how will the maintenance work our since F-16 parts are abundant but F-22, not so much.

@trumptookthevaccine1679

Жыл бұрын

Did you see the new F-35s with that trick paint?

@matthewgardner5983

Жыл бұрын

The Air Force can barely keep a single F-22 demo jet on the road. There will be an F-15 Thunderbird team before there's an F-22 one.

@TheBooban

Жыл бұрын

Why would they keep expensive f-22’s for that rather than cheaper and ubiquitous f-35’s?

@matthewgardner5983

Жыл бұрын

@@TheBooban You'll never see Thunderbird F-35s for similar reasons to the F-22. There are things you cannot remove from it like you can with an F-16 to make it a purely aerobatic airframe. There are not going to be enough F-35s to go around as it stands, let alone sacrificing a couple dozen for the Thunderbirds. If the Thunderbirds run out of F-16s (which will still be many years) they'll probably switch to using trainers, like the T-38 replacement.

@johnosbourn4312

Жыл бұрын

The USAF already has 5th Gen Aggressors, in the form of early production F-35As flown by the newly reactivated 65th Aggressor Squadron.

Perfect timing for the YF-23 to come back! 🙌

@falcon16czz

Жыл бұрын

YES!!!

@davidwolf226

Жыл бұрын

The YF-23 is already back. The Navy took that platform and developed the F/A-18 out of it.

@karlkobler218

Жыл бұрын

Money is going to go to NGAD and skyborg AI drones

@ljessecusterl

Жыл бұрын

Only if JASDF is open to it.

@trumptookthevaccine1679

Жыл бұрын

Im love the 23 but that is an old ass plane now

Hi Alex my name is Joe and I work on airline industry as a FA. I love my job and like to make our PAX taken care and happy.I enjoyed very much the presentation of the F22 Raptor history. TECH is developing very fast as conflict is emerging. I wish you all the best on the time you take giving this info. My respects to you and your love ones. I will keep cheking Sandboxx. Joe

Love your work, awesome video. Long live the King!

Dude, I appreciate you. Truly. You bring educated facts to the table.

That was a beautiful intro. Thanks for your content

Those were some of the best clips I've seen of the F22 all piled together👌

This was the same mistake that was made with the F for phantom. It was supposed to be a long range killer using only missiles, but they had to add a gun because it still had to dogfight. There will always be a need for the dog fighter for the true interceptor.

@hoghogwild

7 ай бұрын

F-14 was a good mix of both fighter and interceptor.

Great video like always. One thing I would like to see, because other nations are also going on the stealth way. This means that ultimately the chance of coming together again grows. Is a video of what you think would happen if two nations fought with stealth planes. Doesn't the radar capabilities or amount of radars have to grow immensely because you otherwise go to the merge? And you then have a plane that is not so maneuverable because you build it for stealth.

Dude that hit hard ! You brought up the Tomcat and that hit hard ! I was like , I didn't know !!! With respect to the Raptor despite the fact it hasn't seen action against any air-to-air threats as of yet , now I kind of feel sad for it too ,

@100ksubsanillmakeavideo3

Жыл бұрын

No one wants to fight it f22s have intercepted many enemies but they turn an run like when they intercepted some F4 flown my Iran flew under them checked they weapons then pulled up right next to them an said an I quote " you should go home now" over the radio moral of the story no one wants to fight the king

I have to say, you do have a way with words. This one convinced me to subscribe. I do want to comment on the low numbers they got. I think that the NGAD is going to run into the same issues if they are only getting 200 or so units. I've put a little thought into some things that I wish they'd try. One of them is taking the modularity to the next level. You have the manned version of the airframe with a cockpit/flight deck module, then you have the unmanned version of the airframe that takes out the cockpit module and puts in a control module and computers to fly the plane autonomously. Since it's the same airframe, you drive costs down. Then that got me thinking about the Raptor while watching this. I wonder if there is a case to be made for refactoring the Raptors design to make it modular while keeping the basic airframe and capabilities intact, and making it part of the NGAD package by giving the system something that can close in and dogfight if needed. Then again, if it's an unmanned system, it'd probably make more sense to design a new platform that doesn't have the considerations to the squishy human inside that you have with the Raptor. You open up the possibility of some truly high-gee maneuvering above and beyond what any human could endure much less operate effectively under. Much like the F-14 Tomcat, I'll be said to see this monster go into that good night, but I await the new beast that will come at the dawn.

All of your points are valid and well researched. But I don't think we are any further away from WW3 today than we were when the Tomcat was in production. Its just a different hammer and sickle state that we're in a hardly cold war with.

@MarkBarrack

Жыл бұрын

We always need an enemy to rally the troops

@newagain9964

Жыл бұрын

Lol. Do you always shill for the national security complex?

I spent years working on the Raptor as a maintainer. It'll break my heart to see it go

Thanks for shearing

Thanks for sharing

While I will be a YF-23 fan forever from it's abilities to it's looks, I have always believed that it was the better aircraft. With that being said the F-22 is a phenomenal craft, while it may be getting a bit long in the tooth it is by no means ready to be put out to pasture. The lack of support for the platform is what really hurt it as well as the upgrades to the venerable F-15 which by it's own success which will continue into the years to follow the F-22 was to have a short service life from the start. It will forever be a legend. Although the chapter of all manned aircraft are beginning to come to a close.

@useresu301

11 ай бұрын

its abilities/ looks. not "it's"

I just subscribed to your channel. I am a Navy vet from the 70's and have always loved seeing any articles about fighter jets. It seems to me that "they" say they are retiring the F-22 makes me wonder just what is already in the testing phase. With our technology we have today there is no telling what is already flying. and being developed. My life long dream is to fly in the back seat of a fighter. That's one thing on my bucket list I'm pretty sure will never take place. Thank you for your articles.

@protorhinocerator142

2 ай бұрын

The NGAD is next, of the planes we're allowed to know about.

We are very thankful for you and your efforts buddy! When are you coming back to CT and let me give you that Pratt & Whitney museum and training center tour?

I subscribed to this channel just because of the introduction.. Love this videos

Thrust vectoring is also very useful in breaking radar lock of SAM's and its extremely low observability also helps to prevent lock to begin with.

I was an F-14 aviator for 13 years and watching the intro to this just had me remembering what we gave up for the F-18. The F-14 had no match for the AIM-54's I carried and to this day. The F-22 has the field of Chinese and Russian fighters at a large advantage, yes they're getting close but the F-22 holds the sky. The way they're designing the next gen aircraft has always been about getting more bang for the buck. However there are always, let me say it again, always over runs. So there will never be a Rapter replacement that can fill the needs at a cost we can afford and stay upgrade cost efficient. We didn't learn when the F-18 took over the sky's, that it just didn't have the "reach out and touch someone" effect the F-14 had. But it was too late to undo the mistake, to this day. I hope they make the next gen aircraft better and more adaptable and not just easier to retire.

@doujinflip

Жыл бұрын

Seems what we're finding is constant uptime is more important than maximum performance. The F-18 and F-35 need only a fraction of maintenance hours than its predecessors, so the deterrence comes from the guarantee that sorties are already up and there's even more ready to launch.

"artisanal" is spot on The RAM on the F-22 is also very susceptible to damage and requires extensive and therefore costly maintenance That's why the F-15 got some major upgrades and will remain in the fleet for the foreseeable future to act as a weapons truck for the F-35

NOOOoooo…say it isn’t so! 😭 I hope I can afford to acquire one for my local air & space museum.

The F-22, as amazing of a machine that it is, presumably wasn't really envisioned for the Pacific conflict that seems more likely today. While the Raptor itself might not be easily targetable in such a situation, some of the supporting craft it needs to operate are/will be in the near future. The NGAD will almost certainly be designed with this in mind and I would guess that it will represent a huge design departure from the traditional fighter we think of today. Considering that the NGAD will likely be a series of multiple aircraft, I would hope that the AF is planning for the F-22 to operate longer than the 2030s to account for likely development/procurement delays to the NGAD. If there is anything we have learned, it is that major technological advancements generally result in unexpected increases in time and money.

@thomasvleminckx

Жыл бұрын

They better hurry up, I think most people feel the next global war is not going to wait until 2030.

The F-22 made being stationed at Langley AFB a very memorable experience.

Absolutely right, a few short sighted people made the decision to cut the order on F-22s. It was deemed the F-15, outclassed everything in the sky. We simply didn’t need a fighter that good and that expensive. I couldn’t believe the pre-WWII mentality of that line of thought.

How intuitive! Thanks!

I really hope NGAD will retain or even exceed the dogfighting prowess of the F-22. If the purpose is to be the air superiority platform for the 2030 timeline onwards, then its only normal for us to expect that VLO adversaries will be there to face it. The chances of getting close is very serious, and the notion that NGAD will have no choice but to shoot first is a scary proposition

Well the final decision is up to Congress and so far they don’t seem to keen on retiring the Raptor without a ready replacement. Moreover, the USAF is the smallest and oldest it’s ever been in its entire history and this proposal will only shrink it further. The “divest to invest” approach in the DoD has to the best of my knowledge never once worked out but the services keep trying it. The Air Force needs to realize that you don’t go to war with the force you want to have tomorrow, you go to war with the one you have today. And today the F-15C’s at Kadena AFB are being withdrawn and the airframes are 1,000 hours past what they were designed to do. And F-22’s are backfilling them on rotational deployments, in fact, F-22’s are in incredible demand by combatant commanders all over the world currently. The F-15EX isn’t being produced in the numbers envisioned yet, nor is the F-35, and retiring the Raptor before NGAD is ready will only put more stress on an Air Force that’s stretched thin with global commitments which will age those air frames faster. Instead of divest to invest we should be replacing old aircraft with new aircraft on a 1 for 1 basis.

@johnosbourn4312

Жыл бұрын

By the way, Kadena is not designated as an "Air Force Base", because, it's on foreign soil; is, Japanese, so it is designated as an "Air Base". Only USAF facilities on US soil are "Air Force Bases", and the only Air Force Base designated as such, found outside of the US, is Anderson, located on the island of Guam, which is American soil.

@apolloaero

Жыл бұрын

It's usually a ploy to secure more funding, sometimes Congress calls their bluff tho.

@Rimasta1

Жыл бұрын

@@johnosbourn4312 I didn’t know that about overseas bases on foreign soil. Learn something new everyday, thanks.

@johnosbourn4312

Жыл бұрын

@@Rimasta1 You're welcome.

The Air Force broke the code on acquisitions years ago; retire your newest equipment so you can point at the oldest equipment and say you need new toys.

This is my favorite machine man has ever built. It’s air superiority is far from over, and it Pains me to see it retire without ever seeing actual combat. The other side of me: I know enough about the aircraft to do regular maintenance on it, and US citizens can buy retired military aircraft…

I think the US would be better off spending money on stealth drones rather than a next gen piloted aircraft. And make them cheap, so that it’s too expensive to bother to try and shoot them down. Wars have an economic component that is increasingly becoming the most important facet of conflict.

@bighands69

Жыл бұрын

Drones have a place but they simply cannot replace a pilot in a cockpit.

@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368

Жыл бұрын

@@bighands69 AI has shown to be leagues ahead of humans in dog fighting. Drones don’t black out from G forces. If the plane is shot down, no worries for a safe ejection or hostile interrogation that result in secrets being divulged. Drones get the weight and space savings of the pilot, cockpit, ejection seat, canopy mechanisms, and display avionics which means either more fuel (range), payload capacity, or being lighter and more aerodynamic. Only one AI needs to be trained, so in a prolonged conflict, you don’t have to worry about diminishing quality of new recruits if 3/4s of your fleet is destroyed. I’m sure there are more benefits I’m failing to mention, but if you’d like to counter with positive aspects of having a human instead of a drone piloted by an AI or by a human via secure link, I’ll listen respectfully.

@jgw9990

Жыл бұрын

@@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 Ah yes let's teach AI how to kill humans, I'm sure there are no risks to this at all. I used to think horror movie characters were stupid, but here I see you voluntary walking into a wood chipper.

@drksideofthewal

Жыл бұрын

@@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 The military is reticent to have fully autonomous drones for a variety of reasons (some legal and ethical) including the lack of proven ability of drones to make critical judgements, with limited or errant data, in ambiguous circumstances. A failure of judgement would cost lives, or cause a diplomatic incident. This is why the decision to kill is left to a human. Hence, the military’s choice is to put the drone operator in the air, controlling a flight of drones from the cockpit of a 6th generation fighter, with low latency, high situational awareness, and a very secure “data link” which is much less likely to be interrupted due to proximity. Best of both worlds.

@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368

Жыл бұрын

@@drksideofthewal ok, so you can still have a human watching a live feed and clearing an AI to be weapons hot, just like with human pilots.

You've managed to also, in a few shots, showcase how beautiful the tomcat was and how tragic it's passing is. I'm sure I will feel the same way once the F-22 is retired as well. I think it could be argued however that these planes did their job very well, almost too well. They acted as a deterrent. In essence, they contributed to the unlikelihood that any adversary nations would want to face off against the United States. If you can't establish air dominance you can't win a war in the modern era. You will not establish air dominance with the raptor flying. The Russians know it, the Chinese know it, the North Koreans definitely know it. The Iranians almost learned it the hard way but were given a warning in two chilling words, "go home".

Glad you made sure to give the Raptor its true credit for winning the fight by being so good nobody would fight it.

Nothing we'll ever be as cool as F-22s in formation with Mustangs.

I think the NGAD will be such a leap that the F-22 would get in the way. However the potential lack of maneuverability of the NGAD could be an issue I think. The F-22 is kinda a safe bet since it can do both dog fighting and BVR combat.

@td9302

Жыл бұрын

Mah boi the NGAD will have fucking lasers around it dogfighting will die. I'm sorry.

@clonecommandermike332

Жыл бұрын

Planes don't dogfight anymore

Small correction: total number F-22 produced were 195 with 186 remain in service out of crashes or retirements

Artisinal isn't an unfair description of the F-22. It has less combat capable platforms than pretty much any other combat aircraft ever produced.

Thank you first and foremost for your service sir. Also thank you for these videos. God Bless and keep this channel going. From your friends to the North 🇨🇦 . If we love our jobs we will never work a day in our lives. God knows I love what I do. Let's all find time to give thanx for what we have in our lives 🙏.

Ok, I agree that the F22's future is clearly limited. It was designed and built in basically the dark ages of stealth. So many things have become necessary and the Raptor just cannot be brought up to modern standards. But I want to broach something I have been thinking about for a while now. The NGAD, what might it be called? Keeping with the predator bird theme might have run out of steam, unless others are far more imaginative than me, easily done really. But I want to throw a hat in this ring for the fighter I turned wrenches on for three years, was even "bit" by one with a scar on my head for my efforts. How about my favorite plane the Phantom? It would keeping with the stealth design and how the NGAD would appear to be destined for, long range combat, communications with every platform in the air, land, sea or even space. You would be spotted and killed before you even saw the plane. I admit this probably won't happen but I do like the Phantom III. Opinions?

@Ilyak1986

Жыл бұрын

Not sure I'm a fan of Phantom III, considering that the Phantom II is such an ugly duck in comparison. Dragon sounds too Chinese, so that's off the table. Archangel feels like it should be a name for a capital ship. Wyvern just sounds like a scuffed dragon. Here's a thought, though: Why not just yoink the YF-23's old name? Widowmaker.

@johnjubie7144

Жыл бұрын

Whatever the name, it will have to be gender neutral and non threatening. Something all inclusive, something that shows our racist past , I'm sure the Air Force is working overtime coming up with something appropriate.

@Ilyak1986

Жыл бұрын

Reeeeeeee, SJWs bad, upvotes pls! Come on...yes, they're obnoxious when they're in charge of our entertainment writing, but good grief, you think they're going to care about what the military nicknames a flying death machine?

@itswhiteguy7941

Жыл бұрын

@@Ilyak1986 Pretty sure that it was Black Widow, not Widowmaker

@Ag3nt0fCha0s

Жыл бұрын

“Hangar queen XL”

I would love to see a video summarizing what we know about the RQ-170 and/or similar type highly classified reconnaissance drones. If not, no worries. I genuienley love all your content, Alex, and am always looking forward to a new video! Hope you enjoy thanksgiving.

@trumptookthevaccine1679

Жыл бұрын

RQ-180 IS THE KING

@mikefitzgerald6897

Жыл бұрын

Drones are the future of air superiority. They are lighter and can take higher G Force turns. It is only a matter of time before drone hordes outperform manned platforms.

@qinarizonaful

Жыл бұрын

There are huge cost and tech savings when one or two manned platforms lead just as capable but cheaper stealth drone platforms into battle. The 6th generation fighter may be a drone. IF TWO Raptors lead each squadon, that's potentially 50 to 80 new squadrons of fighters!!!! The art of war is rapidly changing on the drone canvas!!!

If its going to replace the raptor it has got to be a beast, it sounds like a serious leap in stealth technology has happened. The leap from the f117 to the f22 was huge so something to retire the f22 is probably revolutionary.

I just watched your F22 spot. Very informative and your cost analysis of the F22 verses the F14 was inlightening. The depreciation of the dollar. Obama ordered the halt of the F22 production and the A10. The A10 was uncanciled. Yours is the best place for the kind of review on this subject. A good friend of mine was in the navy and got out because of the time he was away from his wife and children. People don't understand the isolation and loneliness of long deployments.

Few as the Raptor is in numbers, what deterrence does it provide in terms of capability against near-peers? Plenty I would think. Hopefully, the Raptor will retire crossing paths with its successor and NGAD and FA-XX will be produced in numbers from lessons learned.

"We didn't make enough.... get rid of it."

@tristananderson8608

Жыл бұрын

Pretty much

5:05 correction, ATF was much earlier. Tactical Air Command (TAC) produced at study called TAC-85 for what their successor might look like. This led to TAC issuing a COF (Concept of Operations) in 1971 for what they called the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF). The first prototype was supposed to be by 1977, but funding was an issue.

It is the MAC in a PC world. The Blue Angels flying F-22's would put on one amazing show! Alex, thanks for not being so repetitive like some of the other military news channels.

I would like to think that this platform still has legs but it is my understanding that the manufacturing infrastructure no longer exists.. which seems to me short sighted. With the proper support I think (but am no expert) that this platform could rival the F15 in length of service.

@bigearl3867

Жыл бұрын

When the Raptor program was cancelled, I was in my car coming home from work. I was screaming NO NO NO NO! And the reason I was doing that was because I remember that the Germans and Japanese had tech, but didn't peruse it. They were happy with what they had. But on the other hand, it was 2008 and the worlds economy was crashing. It was still a short sighted move.

@floridahdshooter

Жыл бұрын

@@bigearl3867 Keep in mind that I wrote that comment at the start of the video.. airpower did a great job illustrating my point.. At this point the F22 is still the king even with China and Russia newest 5th Gen. We cannot dominate that battle space with such few numbers.. So deterrent is out.. If we get into it with China after being embolden after Ukraine so few numbers are not going be able to tip the balance. Again .. we are fighting the last war.. Not sure the F35 will make the difference up.. 100 Mile+ BVR is great but not if you cannot detect the bogie until 15 miles out.

@bigearl3867

Жыл бұрын

@@floridahdshooter Point taken sir.

@td9302

Жыл бұрын

@@floridahdshooter Man 15 miles is instant death vs an F35 the Aim120D will hit and kill within 30s at that range. Literally no chance of survival unless you are very lucky.

@DanSchallerforPOTUS

Жыл бұрын

I think changing the controls - By that, I mean replacing the 'stick' with the smaller controller on one side to open the cockpit more. - in the F-15 Eagle to what the F-22 uses would provide an immense superiority for the frame and it would begin to dominate again.

If an updated F-22 were to go back into production, I’m sure that more than a few of our allies would like to purchase enough to make it worthwhile.

@Loki-sk7bi

Жыл бұрын

Australia could use some!!!

@jollcheist1443

Жыл бұрын

We don’t sell the raptors even to our allies it’s classified.

@pat8988

Жыл бұрын

@@jollcheist1443 Of, course congress would have to permit it, but the F-35 now has more advanced tech and it's being exported, right?

@blacbeatles9211

Жыл бұрын

@@pat8988 I highly doubt America sends them f-35 that are completely on par with there American counter parts that seems odd your friends can become your enemy’s very quick

@michaelmichaelagnew8503

Жыл бұрын

Its illegal for the US to export them. Also its impossible to produce since the facilities don't exist anymore.

Its is awesome to know that the F-22 was the most dominate aircraft ever, and we wont actually know its capabilities for 40+ years...but something that an take that out will be mind blowing.

The almighty F-22 Raptor first and only one kill in history is a stranded weather balloon.

By 2040 the youngest F22 airframe would be 28 years old. Most would be well over 30 years. Once Def.Sec. Gates canned the production line back in 2009, and Lockheed Martin really began to ramp up the F35 program, there was always a 30 year countdown in place for replace the F22 with whatever ‘6th gen’ air superiority platform was developed. That countdown clock hasn’t stopped. One would hope that the next gen air superiority platform is production ready within a decade, to allow for a comfortable replacement of the F22 (not to mention even older platforms that were meant to be replaced a decade ago).

@newagain9964

Жыл бұрын

Yup. Planned obsolescence is the new model.

@user-yq3fz9ch5q

Жыл бұрын

Same SecDef under Obama shut down the tomahawk nuclear missiles, even after the Russkies violated the IMT by developing intermediate nuclear missiles while O was in charge, remember Reagan and the Pershing II missiles throughout NATO? Only thing Russia understands is overwhelming nuclear force will come, if they go hot.🤷‍♂️

@defenestrationismyfavoriteword

Жыл бұрын

@@newagain9964 yeah... but planned by rust and entropy and the ever continuing arms race. Do you understand planned obsolescence beyond "thing gets old and replaced"?

I always forget how HUGE the F-22 is compared to the F-35 or A-10

@tomvobbe9538

Жыл бұрын

I know. It makes the F-35 look like a baby plane.

@trumptookthevaccine1679

Жыл бұрын

And it has no range 😢

@Ilyak1986

Жыл бұрын

@@trumptookthevaccine1679 I mean...that's b/c it never flies with drop tanks since the USAF hasn't figured out how to make them stealth yet. Get stealth tanks and the F-22 goes a decent bit further.

Love ya dude.

Retirement of F-22 is premature: press into service as Loyal Wingman to F-35: perfection!

I dont think it will happen, they were supposed to retire the F15 an they are building new ones the F15EX. An they are still building F16s, although they are selling an exporting them in the new block 70 version.

@luigimrlgaming9484

Жыл бұрын

The F-15 wasn’t nearly as expensive when it was developed and the infrastructure for their production still exists The F-22 got cut because there was no real need for air superiority fighters for the foreseeable future They were wrong

@dilet1114

Жыл бұрын

F-15/16 production lines are still open and they’re constantly being brought up to date thanks to lots of foreign customers. Compare that to the F-14 and F-22. No one but Iran bought the F-14 and they soon turned hostile, and only the USAF flies the F-22. The F-15 is flown by 7 nations and the F-16 by a whole lot more.

@2ndtonone1000

Жыл бұрын

@@dilet1114 If they exported the F22 it probably wouldn't be on the chopping block, but its an expensive plane to operate, so I can see it going away. They just recently spent 11 billion on upgrades, so it might still take a while, I give it ten years and it will be phased out, especially when the 6th gen plane comes online and in full production.

The F-22 has been on life support for years. The production line is shut down, tooling for replacement parts is missing, the tech is outdated and not compatible with newer systems. It will likely be turned into a test bed for new stealth tech like RAM, coatings, weapons ect. I think it will ultimately go the way of the F-117. It was never built in enough numbers to be around for an extended period of time

The raptor isn't dead. Because legends are forever.

"The old will gone, the new will come. but the legend lives on"

When I first heard about the Air-Force retiring the F-22 but upgrading the F-16 I thought it was crazy considering the age of the 4th gen air-frame. I hear tho that the F-16SE, being built ground up, not an old F16 getting an upgrade, I also heard it's a beast.

I feel that the lack of numbers of the F-22 worked in it's political favor. It's an exotic fighter, like a limited edition Ferrari that only the richest can buy. It also helped to keep many of its secrets, as less fighters flying, means less points of failure.