Our Future Air Force vs. "Theirs"?
As the U.S. Senate voted down extra funds for the wavering F-22 Raptor program - planes designed to give the U.S. unmatched air superiority in the coming decades - questions abound as to what kind of aircraft will fight our future wars - and against whom? With Defense Secretary Robert Gates shifting funds to the efforts needed to fight today's wars, who may potentially go up against American air machines in the no-too-distant future?
The F-22 aircraft was designed for a manned, conventional combat against multiple air and ground targets, but its primary roles was to achieve combat superiority against enemy fighters. Today, the majority of the world's most advanced military jet fighters are produced by Western, mostly pro-American, U.S.-friendly nations, such as the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Brazil, Italy, South Africa, Israel, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. These countries may sell large quantities of these aircraft to mostly U.S.-friendly states, like India, or deliver small quantities to potential combatants, like Iraq and Syria (though never in numbers large enough to threaten American interests). Possible exceptions may be Pakistan and Egypt, countries experiences significant internal difficulties and who operate American fighter planes. All in all, U.S. jet fighters reign supreme across the globe because of an extensive logistical and support network that spans the entire planet.
The only remaining true "enemy" combatants to the F-22 are planes designed for actual combat with the American Air Force. The list is small, and consists of aircraft either with a proven quality track record, or features new machines that have never been combat-tested. They are Russian Su-30, Su-35, Su-37 fighters - currently being exported around the world - and Chinese J-11 and J-10 aircraft. There are no other takers, possibly for a long time. Iran is developing and fielding its own jet fighters, but they are more along the aircraft designed by Americans in 1970s-1980s. Chinese aircraft may look like their Western counterparts, but have no real combat experience to speak of, at least for now.
Adding to more questions about the F-22's fate are plans by the United States Air Force to field an all-UAV lineup by mid-century, "potentially replacing every manned aircraft in its inventory." Given the fast pace of air drone development - and unmatched American leadership in this cutting-edge technology - this plan may come to fruition much sooner than the Air Force predicts. However, Russia and China are not stopping their development of modern manned air fighters, at least not for the next two-three decades. So if the F-22 actually flies into combat, who will it be facing it on the other side? For now, it seems, that could be Russian or a Chinese-made aircraft, no doubt about it.
