Ready for 6th-Gen: The US Navy Should Have Made a Maritime, Carrier-Launched F-22

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The age of the Navy’s F/A-18 fleet is one key reason why the Pentagon once considered making the F-22 a carrier-launched aircraft, something which would have potentially introduced a first-of-its-kind sea-launched stealth jet years ahead of the F-35C.

A stealthy, fifth-generation F/A-18 replacement did not exist in the years prior to the emergence of a carrier-launched stealth fighter with the F-35C.

F-22 Raptor Can Do It All

The need for a carrier-based fighter like the F-22 clearly did exist.

For years leading up to and after the arrival of the F-35C, the Navy consistently sought to acquire more Block III Super Hornet F/A-18 aircraft. Yearly Navy budgets in 2013, 2014, and 2015 consistently placed a sizable amount of F/A-18s on the unfunded priorities list, something which showed the need for a new platform or bridge to extend sea-launched air attack until the F-35C could become operational in the early 2020s.

While the F/A-18 is a combat-proven, reliable platform, which has been massively upgraded over the years, it is by no means stealthy. Therefore, a stealthy fighter jet such as a Navy variant of the F-22 for carrier attack would certainly expand the power projection possibilities for Carrier Air Wings.

A maritime F-22 would have offered a high-speed, air-superiority complement to the F/A-18 and F-35C. The question this raises is would such a development have further delayed the F/A-XX program currently in development, should a maritime variant of the F-22 exist?