America


Finicky F-22 Jets Leave U.S. Vulnerable to Enemies


Plagued by maintenance issues, less than 50% of fleet is ready for combat.


A BY MICHAEL DORSTEWITZ AND DAVID A. PATTEN


s hurricane michael ravaged the Florida Pan- handle in October, rip- ping off roofs, washing out


streets, and decimating businesses, it also blew the lid off the serious main- tenance issues that are threatening to cripple the F-22 Raptor fi ghter jet program critical to U.S. defense. Considered the world’s most capa-


ble air superiority fi ghter jet, the Rap- tor is an engineering marvel. It is one of only three operational,


fi fth-generation fi ghters in the world, along with the F-35 Lightning II and China’s Chengdu J-20. What’s so hot about the F-22? Well,


20 NEWSMAX | JANUARY 2019


for starters, its stealthy design and energy-absorbent coatings give it roughly the same radar cross-section as a sparrow. With its “supercruise” ability, it can


fl y at 1.5 times the speed of sound without resorting to the afterburners that consume prodigious amounts of fuel and limit an aircraft’s range. One measure of the F-22’s signifi -


cance: Unlike other fi ghters, federal law bans the sale of the jet to any other nation. U.S. allies, including Israel, took delivery of the F-35 ground-attack fi ghter. They will never be able to buy the F-22. The jet’s Achilles’ heel: its hefty


price tag of $339 million per jet. That cost, along with steep maintenance costs, led the Pentagon to conclude it could only aff ord to build about 187 of the aircraft, out of the 800 that were originally envisioned. The last one rolled off the assembly line in 2012. So when Hurricane Michael


morphed into a Category 4 monster and barreled toward Panama City, Florida, the Air Force ordered the F-22s at Tyndall Air Force base near Panama City to fl y out of harm’s way — all the way to Ohio, in fact. On Oct. 10, Michael’s merciless


winds made landfall. Tyndall was struck by 129-mph winds so power- ful they ripped the F-15 fi ghter jets on stationary display there from their pedestals, tossing them to the ground where they lay like the broken toys of a defi ant child.


U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASS ALEX ECHOLS


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