Posted on Feb 25, 2021
F-22 Raptor vs F-35 Lightning | Cost, Performance, Size, Top Speed
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I often wondered why the F22 program was canceled when it is clearly a far superior fighter and has a much lower total life cycle cost than the F35. I get the B and C variants of the F35 have unique capabilities the A model doesn't, but it seems to me replacing the A variant with F22s would be a better option.
F-22 Raptor vs F-35 Lightning | Cost, Performance, Size, Top Speed
Posted from militarymachine.comPosted in these groups: 
Aviation
Aviation
Posted 4 y ago
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They weren’t built to be interchangeable. If they were, then it’s a valid argument to say, “Why was production of one stopped?”
The F-22 was designed to be an air superiority fighter. That’s it. The F-15 has the same mission. When the Advanced Tactical Fighter program was envisioned in the ‘80s, it was to augment (not completely replace) the F-15. It was, in many ways, everything the F-15 already was—only better. Fast, extreme dogfighting, bombs are for wussies. It was designed for the U.S. Air Force alone, no other service or country. It was for air superiority only, no other mission.
The F-35 was designed to fill multiple roles. The U.S. Air Force wanted an F-16 replacement/augmentation. The Navy wanted to augment (not fully replace) its F/A-18s with something stealthy. The Marines wanted a common airframe that could replace the Harrier AND the Hornet together. Each service had something different in mind. Each service had its own priorities and requirements. Each service wanted its own separate fighter.
The problem is, Congress ain’t gonna approve THREE different strike-fighter programs. I know! Let’s build ONE common airframe, to go supersonic, AND hover, AND operate from a carrier deck, AND dogfight, AND be a bomb truck. I’m sure THAT won’t be a compromise at all!
End result: everyone compromises, no one’s completely satisfied.
The F-22 production stopped at 173 (from a planned 740) for the same reason that B-2 production stopped at 19: because the Soviet Bloc went away. The prevailing Clinton opinion in the ‘90s was, “We’ll never be threatened like that again! We’re safe forever!” Shouldn’t we think about the threat 20 or more years from now? “That’s someone else’s problem.” And so it stopped.
The F-22 didn’t come out in huge numbers. Therefore, it did not replace or retire a single F-15 (or F-16). Now it’s 30 years later, and those F-15s and F-16s are getting mighty old. Where is their replacement?!?
Obviously, the only fighter being produced right now is the F-35. So that’s what it’s got to be. More F-35s. It is NOT a direct equal to or replacement for the F-22, and was never supposed to be. Right now, it’s the only thing being produced.
To compare the F-22 to the F-35 is to compare the F-15 to the F-16. They’re not equals, and do not have the same mission. But it’s all we’ve got.
The F-22 was designed to be an air superiority fighter. That’s it. The F-15 has the same mission. When the Advanced Tactical Fighter program was envisioned in the ‘80s, it was to augment (not completely replace) the F-15. It was, in many ways, everything the F-15 already was—only better. Fast, extreme dogfighting, bombs are for wussies. It was designed for the U.S. Air Force alone, no other service or country. It was for air superiority only, no other mission.
The F-35 was designed to fill multiple roles. The U.S. Air Force wanted an F-16 replacement/augmentation. The Navy wanted to augment (not fully replace) its F/A-18s with something stealthy. The Marines wanted a common airframe that could replace the Harrier AND the Hornet together. Each service had something different in mind. Each service had its own priorities and requirements. Each service wanted its own separate fighter.
The problem is, Congress ain’t gonna approve THREE different strike-fighter programs. I know! Let’s build ONE common airframe, to go supersonic, AND hover, AND operate from a carrier deck, AND dogfight, AND be a bomb truck. I’m sure THAT won’t be a compromise at all!
End result: everyone compromises, no one’s completely satisfied.
The F-22 production stopped at 173 (from a planned 740) for the same reason that B-2 production stopped at 19: because the Soviet Bloc went away. The prevailing Clinton opinion in the ‘90s was, “We’ll never be threatened like that again! We’re safe forever!” Shouldn’t we think about the threat 20 or more years from now? “That’s someone else’s problem.” And so it stopped.
The F-22 didn’t come out in huge numbers. Therefore, it did not replace or retire a single F-15 (or F-16). Now it’s 30 years later, and those F-15s and F-16s are getting mighty old. Where is their replacement?!?
Obviously, the only fighter being produced right now is the F-35. So that’s what it’s got to be. More F-35s. It is NOT a direct equal to or replacement for the F-22, and was never supposed to be. Right now, it’s the only thing being produced.
To compare the F-22 to the F-35 is to compare the F-15 to the F-16. They’re not equals, and do not have the same mission. But it’s all we’ve got.
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SFC Melvin Brandenburg
I enjoyed your explanation and it makes sense. I wonder if f22 production could be restarted until we get something better since we are back to near peer threats??
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Maj (Join to see)
It’s interesting that you say that. The answer to F-22 production is “no.” It’s been out of production for 20 years. And it’s old by now.
But the F-15 is still in production. Can we update it, and build more? Build enough to replace the existing F-15s with newer airframes? The answer is “yes.”
But wait, I thought the F-15 is non-stealthy, and nowhere near as capable as the F-22? Yes, that’s true. But we are NOT going to be able to replace the entire inventory with stealthy planes, not for another few decades. In the meantime, the aging F-15s are only getting older. And they still have an important mission. The F-22 has its place during the first few days of a war, and from there can move into the deep air superiority. F-15s can provide combat air patrols defensively over friendly territory, and slowly expand their reach over enemy turf. They’re still effective over peer fourth-generation fighters. We simply MUST keep F-15s as part of our inventory, because there aren’t enough F-22s to do everything.
But the F-15 is still in production. Can we update it, and build more? Build enough to replace the existing F-15s with newer airframes? The answer is “yes.”
But wait, I thought the F-15 is non-stealthy, and nowhere near as capable as the F-22? Yes, that’s true. But we are NOT going to be able to replace the entire inventory with stealthy planes, not for another few decades. In the meantime, the aging F-15s are only getting older. And they still have an important mission. The F-22 has its place during the first few days of a war, and from there can move into the deep air superiority. F-15s can provide combat air patrols defensively over friendly territory, and slowly expand their reach over enemy turf. They’re still effective over peer fourth-generation fighters. We simply MUST keep F-15s as part of our inventory, because there aren’t enough F-22s to do everything.
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