Real reason US Air Force won't build new F-22 Raptors

4/25/2016 11:08:57 PM

(MENAFN- Asia Times) F-22 Raptors

Why the enthusiasm the F-22A? Some supporters believe strongly that it's a better fighter than the F-35A. But when fielding a question at last Thursday’s Royal Aeronautical Society dinner Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan the F-35 program manager suggested asking pilots who have flown the both the F-22 and the F-35 which they'd prefer to take into combat. (The dinner incidentally was honoring the general for his work on the program.) The bigger problem may be economic. At issue is more than potentially alarming restart costs; the F-22s are very expensive to operate and the USAF knows so. Back in 2013 the servicereleased figures from its Air Force Cost and Performance (AFCAP) system that accounted for costs per flight hour. All such numbers are strongly subject to accounting conventions accountants' interpretations and simply the number of hours flown in any year. These were average and not marginal costs. All the same the differences were remarkable:

Fighter or attack aircraft typeAverage cost per flight hour 20082012 (CY $):

F-22A Raptor –$68362

F-15C Eagle –$41921

F-15E Strike Eagle –$32094

F-16C Fighting Falcon –$22514

A-10C Thunderbolt II (Warthog) –$17716

MQ-9A Reaper –$4762

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