Alerts Sign-up
Lockheed Martin is advocating for upgrades to the oldest F-22 Raptor fighter jets in the US Air Force fleet rather than their retirement, according to reports from The War Zone. The discussion comes as the Air Force considers divesting 32 Block 20 generation F-22s, which make up nearly 20% of its current fleet of 183 aircraft. Most combat-ready Raptors are Block 30 and 35 models, while the Block 20 jets primarily serve as training aircraft.
Lockheed Martin has expressed concerns that retiring these older jets could increase costs for training and maintenance due to a reduced pool of available aircraft. The company notes that while the F-22 program has been expensive to sustain, its advanced capabilities continue to be valued by the military.
A statement quoted by The War Zone from the Government Accountability Office outlines Lockheed Martin’s position: “Air Combat Command officials stated that combat units generally have a total of 24 Block 30/35 aircraft to ensure there are 12 mission capable aircraft at a given time, due to availability concerns such as maintenance. However, if the Air Force reallocated Block 30/35 aircraft to training units to account for the loss of Block 20 aircraft, Air Force documentation noted this could potentially result in combat units having as few as 18 total aircraft.”
