By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
(Washington D.C.) There are likely several reasons why the US never exported its famous 5th-generation F-22 Raptor to allied nations, the first and most obvious of which is simply that US leaders and weapons developers wanted to make sure cutting-edge exclusively developed technologies remain only with the US. The US military does not want to compromise any massive advantage it may have over adversaries.
F-22
Perhaps there are so many proprietary and potentially sensitive technologies that the US does not even want to risk producing a stripped-down “export” variant. Export variants of the Abrams and Apache reach many countries, and of course the F-35 is fast becoming more global. So there may be an even more detailed and important reason why the US simply does not share anything F-22.
Such a question doubtless invites speculation, and some are likely to wonder if it pertains to certain elements of its air supremacy technology, maneuverability and air-to-air attack capability. Certain key F-22 specs such as its 1.08 thrust-to-weight ratio or Mach 2.25 speed are not unmatched, as Russia’s Su-57 specs show a slightly superior 1.18 thrust to weight ratio and only slightly slower speed at 2.2 Mach. However, key point cited in the specs is that, with “round nozzles” the F-22 is listed as having the highest thrust to weight ratio at 1.37, so it would be useful to know how often it flies with them. Apart from this, the Su-35 is listed as having the highest thrust-to-weight ratio at 1.30 and the US F-15 is listed at 1.29, according to World Defense.
Video Above: Air War in 2050 – Air Force Research Lab Commander
Therefore, if several planes are just as fast as the F-22 and able to fly with an equivalent or even better thrust-to-weight ratio …. Why is the F-22 considered the best by many? What attributes does the F-22 possess that rival aircraft may not. The reason why there is no export variant may well be because there are specific technologies built into the aircraft which give it an edge over competitors.
It may simply be that even creating an export variant of the F-22 would simply give away too much information about the aircraft and allow too many countries to be familiar with how it flies. This is quite significant, because given that it is known as a superior air-to-air fighter, the Pentagon simply did not want too many allied nations to learn how to maneuver, fight and train on such an elite system. In more recent years, the F-22 has received substantial upgrades to its stealth coating, weapons guidance, sensing and electronics, however there are likely aspects of the initial F-22 models, and specifics on how it flies, which simply were not replicated anywhere else in the world. The Pentagon sought to keep it that way.
Also, in terms of sheer manufacturing, the F-22 program was cut short of its intended fleet size, so a production apparatus may not have been sufficiently established to support foreign variants.
Kris Osborn is the Military Affairs Editor of 19 FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
