The F-22 Raptor stealth figheter has been involved in combat missions since 2014, the Air Force is planning to equip the fifth-generation aircraft with new missiles, upgraded sensors and perform key maintenance on its special stealth coating. By 2019, the Air Force and Lockheed Martin hope to upgrade the F-22 to carry advanced AIM-120D and AIM-9X Air-to-Air missiles as well as enhanced air-to-surface target location capabilities.
The Raptor is better at air-to-air missions than the F-35 which has superior air-to-ground capability.
The F-35 program prepares to ramp-up production with more than 900 aircraft expected for delivery over the next five years.
The Pentagon could choose not to update its current inventory of 108 F35 planes as a cost saving measure. Most of those F35 planes would never be combat ready and would be only used for training.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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