Plane Talkin'

After a twenty year development cycle that reads like a soap opera script, the U.S. Air Force has finally deployed the first combat squadron of F-22A Raptor fighter jets.

I have mixed feelings about this aircraft. As a weapon system, it is without equal. I have no doubt it will perform as advertised, and maintain total air superiority for us. What I question, however, is our "bang for the buck." At $130M per frame, (roll in development costs and it shoots up to nearly $300M per frame), it's a monstrously expensive piece of hardware that was designed and developed to fight a sophisticated military power which is no longer extant. While it may come to pass that China rises up to fill the power vacuum left by the Soviet Union, that is a point of debate at best. But even that argument is secondary to the real issue: even as advanced as it is, the F-22A is already on the threshold of obsolescence.

In a few years--a couple of decades at the most--manned warplanes, and most especially manned fighters, will likely be as antiquated as war chariots. Even if remotely controlled combat aircraft like Northrop's X-47 don't supplant it, you can be sure that railgun technology will do so in a very few years. Once point-of-aim/point-of-impact weapons become predominant on the battlefield, most of the paradigms of modern warfare will change almost literally overnight. It's a repeated pattern throughout history. The last major shift occurred during and immediately after World War I. We're overdue for another.

So, you fortunate few who get to fly the Raptor, enjoy it while it you can. You're most likely flying the most advanced--and last--manned fighter that will ever be built. And don't scratch the paint; that thing cost us a fortune!