“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!” – Samuel Adams

F-22 Slaughters F-16 in War Games

By Bob Ellis on June 17th, 2010

A Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor fighter streaks by the ramp at the 2008 Joint Services Open House (JSOH) airshow at Andrews AFB. (Photo credit: Rob Shenk)

Regular readers know of my intense appreciation for the new F-22 Raptor, and it isn’t just because I have the honor of knowing an F-22 pilot (I was amazed by the aircraft long before).  It’s the hottest fighter in the world, years ahead of its next-best competitor. It combines a healthy weapons package with unmatched maneuverability and cutting-edge stealth, making it lethal to America’s enemies.

Winning at modern warfare means air superiority is a must.  Military forces must get control and keep control of the skies over any battlefield so that ground forces are not hindered and harassed in their efforts to win on the ground.  Without air superiority, the enemy, the enemy can rain down fire on you at will from above, and no American wants that for our men and women in uniform.

In their zeal to find more money to waste on unconstitutional social programs, liberals in congress and the White House are cutting our defenses to the bone, including production of new F-22s.   Yet this aircraft continues to demonstrate that it is worth the money.

The Daily Press yesterday featured an article about some exercises 90 miles off the coast of Virginia between F-16s out of Langley AFB against veteran pilots flying F-16s from Luke AFB in Arizona.  The F-16 is a fine fighter, and it used to be the best the U.S. had to put in the air.

How are the F-16s holding up?

But going up against the stealthy Raptor is killing them. Over and over again.

“That’s what is so phenomenal about this airplane,” said Col. Matt Molloy, commander of the First Fighter Wing at Langley. “It’s just a killing machine. I don’t know how else to put it.”

The F-22s go in outnumbered more than 3-1…and still kick thruster.

“Typically, we go out three versus 10,” he said. “If they can find us, by all means punish us — in any way, shape or form that you can. Use your eyeballs. Use your radar. Use your heat-sensing device. You’ve got 10, bring it. We’ve got three, crush us. And they can’t.”

Unfair? Yep.

“You purchased an airplane that is all about an unfair fight,” he said.

The F-16s still manage to make some kills even against the futuristic Raptor.  That’s what I would expect, since part of what makes the U.S. Air Force the best in the world is not only our advanced hardware but the unmatched skills of our pilots.  They are the best pilots in the world, flying the best aircraft in the world.

Once a production line shuts down, it is tremendously more expensive to start it up again.  But we need to have as many F-22s as possible so that we are ready to deal with any and all threats that come our way.  Even an aircraft like the F-22 will see some losses in combat, there are also non-combat crashes from time to time, and sometimes airframes just wear out.  We can’t be caught short in this dangerous world, and this aircraft repeatedly demonstrates its worth in protecting American lives.

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  • Broth

    Before the F-35 comes on line it will end up costing more than we are paying for BETTER F-22's… It's all about having a Defense Secretary more interested in keeping his new master happy and also keeping his job than doing what's right….. Sad state of affairs in this country… We will all live to regret what's going on now.

  • Bill, F-119 engine builder

    The lines are already shutting down and it is predicted that the US will lose 20,000 jobs by cancelling the F22 program. I really doubt if we'll be making more of them, ever. Sad day for the USA.

  • thisoldspouse

    The military is too busy worrying about keeping sodomites happy to spend its undivided attention and resources on maintaining the most efficient, cohesive military possible, not to mention its fight tools like the F-22. The constitutional duty of our fighting forces have to take a back seat to political correctness.

  • Smr36

    as a man in the aerospace industry and had a had in building parts for the f-22 and the f-35, we did lose at least 20,000 jobs. i have been out for about a year because they cut the f-22. president obama claimed that the f-35 production would accelerate and take up the slack. for them that means at least a 2 year window were neither is in full swing. mr. pres. wasnt trying to save jobs, he took them. the f-22 is the best in the world hands down. it will run circles around the f-35. mr. pres also stated that no one else in the world had the ability to produce a 5th generations fighter. and what do you know a year later russin and china are in the process of building one. so much for our inteligence, or was it another politician lying to get his way to spend the money on a health care bill most dont want?

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