A Look At The Impact That The F-22 Program Cancellation Has Had On The U.S. Air Force

Tyson Wetzel, Medium: Reviewing Air Power Abandoned: Longing for More Raptors

“If you want the date of the final betrayal of all Americans who fly and fight, here it is: December 18, 2006. That Monday, Robert Gates took office as Secretary of Defense.” — Robert F. Dorr

Robert Door begins his examination of the decision to end the F-22 Raptor production line with the hyperbolic statement above. The decision to stop production of arguably the world’s greatest flying machine elicits impassioned opinions on both sides of the argument. Raptor supporters argue that the Air Force is significantly weaker than it should be because of the limited number of F-22s, while supporters of Secretary Gates’ decision argue the cancellation of the line allowed the investment of billions of dollars in equipment that saved countless lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But if you are looking for an unbiased accounting of Secretary Robert Gates’ decision to cap the Air Force’s fleet of F-22s, Air Power Abandoned is not for you. Throughout the book Mr. Dorr rails against Secretary Gates, blaming him for a host of ills that now befalls the US Air Force, primary among them the decision to halt production of the Raptor.

WNU Editor: I am one of those who has always been critical of former Secretary of Defense Robert Gate's decision to cancel the F-22 line in favour of prioritizing the development and production of the F-35. Why replace something that works better than anything else out there was my argument. It appears that someone has written a book on this story, and is pulling no punches,