Maybe We Should Not Export The F-22 Raptor

Photo from Air Force World

Export Raptors? -- Neptunus Lex

Danger Room says that a Senate panel is pushing to release the F-22 Raptor for export:

If the proposal, passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, becomes law, it would offer a lifeline to Lockheed Martin’s production line, which is otherwise schedule for closure.

“Japan, Israel and Australia have shown interest in buying the supersonic, radar-evading F-22 Raptor, designed to destroy enemy air defenses in the first days of any conflict and clear the way for other missions,” reports Reuters.

Hmm. I’m all for preserving US defense industrial capacity, but I think this risks putting the defense industry cart ahead of the national security horse. Of the three countries theoretically interested in purchasing the kind of capability inherent to the Raptor, the Aussies are the only ones I’d trust with the machine, and I doubt that they could afford them in sufficient numbers to make a difference either to LockMart – which in any case has the F-35 to sustain them for the next generation – or for their own defense.

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My Comment: I think this is why the export version will be different from the version that the U.S. Air Force flies. In the event of espionage and/or transfer of technology to a third party .... the tech that they will be receiving will not be what the U.S. Air Force uses. Still .... I do know that a lot of information and valuable intelligence can (probably) still be gleamed from an only export version of the F-22 .... but selling just a few dozen F-22s will still keep the assembly lines working, and in the event of problems in the F-35 line the F-22 will still be there.