My Dream Might Go Down The Drain

[Future Raptor Ace]

http://www.military.com/news/article...RC=airforce.nl

[Bud10]

That sucks, hopefully they will be able to purchase the number they need to keep the factory opened. I thought they were gonna start selling these to the Japanese Air Force. I remember reading somewhere they were thinking about selling them to Japan because there Air Force have been interested in them. If they do that then it should help as well.

[Future Raptor Ace]

Originally Posted by Bud10

That sucks, hopefully they will be able to purchase the number they need to keep the factory opened. I thought they were gonna start selling these to the Japanese Air Force. I remember reading somewhere they were thinking about selling them to Japan because there Air Force have been interested in them. If they do that then it should help as well.

Yea I hope so too, its going to be hard enough for me to get into the Raptor program as it is. Now with the especially low numbers they will have it capped at, (a little over a 100 units) forget about it. I might have to go F-15E which I wouldn't mind too much, but I really want my Raptor.
The F-22 will never be exported, not even to Britain, congress has made it illegal. We do have a foreign exchange program with Britain though that lets an RAF pilot, fly a Raptor for the USAF. We rented it to Japan but we are not selling it to them even though their government is practically begging for some. Israel and Australia also had interest in the Raptor but all have been denied. I am kindve glad with that, stealth is a very sensitive technology and you don't want it to fall into the wrong hands. Russia is trying to develop its own stealth technology called plasma stealth which they may end up selling to China. We already have enough problems with France selling Rafales ( a pretty good bird that may even be a match for the F-15 and the Euro Fighter Typhoon) to what ever nation wants them. The F-35 Lightening II aka Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is basically a much cheaper version of the Raptor with less stealth and air to air combat capabilities. The F-35 was sold to Australia and Israel instead of the Raptor. Japan my also get the Joint Strike fighter if they haven't already. Israel will be the first nation (besides us of course) to receive the JSF, which will be in 2011. All these sales of the JSF were suppose to pay back for the Raptor program. The F-22 is the most expensive fighter jet ever built so money is needed for this program and I'm talking a substantial amount of it. Those who say we don't need such a good fighter sicken me though. The F-15 isn't the best bird in the sky anymore, the Su-27/Su-33 and the Euro Fighter Typhoon are already better than our F-15 which will probably be retired by 2025. Have only a little more than 100 Raptors is a B.S. excuse for air superiority

[pepelepew]

I'm glad my Senator from Oklahoma is standing up for the production of Raptors, (Inhoffe).They are expensive but just as already pointed out they will be viable for many years to come. In both Gulf wars and current conflicts superior military hardware has and is a game changer and have saved countless allied and American lives. We can't afford to go backwards especially in this current world climate. The same cost issues came into play when the F-15 was first in production and look what a work horse she has been. I think more sober minds will win this debate because no politician wants to be cause of us to be vulnerable or potentially defeated in any future conflict with their fingerprints on it at least. Peace through strength. If you are meant to fly a Raptor it won't make any difference how few they produce and if not it won't matter how many they produce. I really hope you get to experience your dream RA!

[TheBarrett]

I hope you do too Frah
I mean, I would steal it for you and give it to you on your birthday, but technology today, they might be able to detect spectral undead beings!

[Future Raptor Ace]

heh thanks guys, but no if they are capped at the 120 units they are at now, i'm afraid all the slots will already be filled by next year. All of which will be given to captains and majors and maybe 1 first lieutenant who is at the top of his class. My friend who will be an F-35 pilot is having trouble getting into the F-35 program, and they are going to be making tons of them. He might have to fly the F-16 first and work his way up to the F-35. If thats hard imagine how hard it will be to get into the raptor program with so few. Its hard enough getting your wings and a pilot slot on top of that to get into the fighter pilot slot. Only 10 percent of the Air Force actually flies. 5% of that 10 actually make it to fighter pilot slot. 10 people apply to become a fighter pilot only 2 will make the requirements, I have my work cut out for me. Besides sniper school maybe, fighter pilots are among the most selective in the military.

[dreamer]

The raptor is pretty much a superfluous program. In the not too distant future (about 20 years) unmanned vehicles will completely replace conventional military planes anyway, it's already happening.

[Future Raptor Ace]

Raptor superfluous, right................................
Lets go back to the days of F-4 Phantoms in Vietnam. It was the same people who said the F-15 was superfluous and that the F-4 did not need to be replaced even though the Air Force was begging for a replacement. (To those who don't know the F-4 did not have the edge against the MIG-21 in Vietnam. They were almost evenly matched, and because the F-4 did not have a gun it made close range dog fighting almost impossible for the F-4. The F-4 did real poorly in Vietnam.) Well the F-15s were approved and we all know how that turned out right? Complete domination in the Gulf war, the F-15 is yet to lose a dog fight in combat.
UAV's have a long way to go until they replace manned pilots. Your talking 2050 or even later. Right now they are still in the, is it efficient and worth it phase.

[dreamer]

Not 2050. It will happen much sooner. We won't have ground soldiers by 2050, only robots.

http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/p....html?d=149562



Compared to this the raptor is just so yesterday, sorry.

[Future Raptor Ace]

^thats a bomber the Raptor is a fighter. They are two very different types of jet. You cant compare it to the Raptor Also the X-47 has a long way to go before it is put into production. X stand for experimental it wasn't even awarded a real name yet, 2nd its first flight is in 2009. The F-22's first flight was in September 1990 (exactly a month before I was born). 1997 was the first flight of the F-22 "Raptor". The Raptor werent put into mass production until 2005. So the X-47 has a long way to go, and like I said before, its not a fighter, its a bomber. The Raptor is not yesterday until and unmanned fighter comes out, and that hasnt even been put on the drawing boards yet.
The new thing on the drawing boards is the FB-22, look it up!