US Air Force Seeks New Fighter Jet to Surpass Finicky F-22

An F-22 Raptor fighter jet from Tyndall, Florida approaches a KC-135 Stratotanker for refuelling. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)

By    |   Monday, 29 October 2018 04:05 PM EDT ET

When the Air Force was unable to evacuate 17 of the 55 F-22 jets stationed at Tyndall Air Force base near Panama City, Fla., in October as Hurricane Michael loomed -- the jets were under repair and unable to fly -- military leaders charged with protecting America naturally took notice.

The F-22s are considered critical to national defense because they maintain the air superiority that is central to American warfighting doctrine. Absent the F-22, America’s soldiers, sailors, and Marines could no longer assume friendly air cover in contested airspace where U.S. fighter jets are outnumbered.

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When the Air Force was unable to evacuate 17 of the 55 F-22 jets stationed at Tyndall Air Force base near Panama City in October as Hurricane Michael loomed -- the jets were under repair and unable to fly -- military leaders charged with protecting America naturally took...
f-22, russia, iran, china, tyndall, air superiority
1122
2018-05-29
Monday, 29 October 2018 04:05 PM
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