[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Free', ' ')
This will result in a competition for hearts and minds for the people within the spheres of influence (see cold war) - it just doesn't help if you have the image of a pariah nation there, although pariah-parameters can be flexible.

[Free]

Yes that's a good point and quite a likely scenario I have to admit - we probably all end up living in Stalinist states no matter in which sphere of influence we are.
And if you live in a "free country" you likely get crushed depending on what the horse trading of the big powers has in the cards for you...

[pedalling_faster]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', ' ')I would expect to see, if a global die-off is proceeding in a terrifying way and everyone knows it, a complete free pass for governments to act ruthlessly.

[Niagara]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PolestaR', 'T')he F-22 has a long way to go to beat the 767....

[nemo]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'G')odwin's Law is a natural law of Usenet named after Mike Godwin concerning Usenet "discussions". It reads, according to
the Jargon File:

As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one

[TITAN]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'T')o confront the F-22-led “Blue Air” collection, the joint force mustered its best “Red Air” threat—front-line F-15s, F-16s, and Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets. The F-22’s team blitzed the opposition with a favorable 241-to-two kill ratio.

[max_power29]

Oh joy I can't wait until all these sweet new military toys are dropping D.U., phosphorous, chemicals, plagues, and bombs on us using SPR jet fuel during martial law.

At least the arabs and persians will have had benefactors supplying them with RPGs and stuff. Americans will have to fend for themselves.

[DarkDawg]

Ok, first of all the article is from Air Force Magazine, an unbiased publication?

Secondly, the Northern Edge exercises pitted obsolete American jets against the Raptor: F-15's and F16's. A high "killl" ratio would be expected pitting cutting edge technology against obsolete equipment.
Has the Raptor been "proven" against the best jets the Russians have to offer?

Thirdly, the pilots were Americans. Ok, they are good, but not necessarily the best pilots in the world. Lucky for them, that British, French, Israeli, and IAF pilots are all allies. Here's a reference before you flame me....and another
Have the Raptor pilots been "proven" against the best pilots of the world?

All this talk about air superiority is easy when you're talking about Iraq or some other small-time air force that the U.S. has faced in real-world combat in recent years over familiar terrain. It's all relative. Fly a few of those Raptors over Moscow untouched and maybe I'll be convinced.

Air superiority has as much to do with logistics, intelligence, and strategy as it has to do with technology.
Have those things been "proven" against other world powers?

I for one hope we will never need to know the answers to these questions.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TITAN', 'M')any countries besides the us and israel own those 2 airframes. We make alot of money selling them spare parts...

Just one example: Venezuela wants to sell Iran their F16s

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DarkDawg', 'H')ere's a reference before you flame me...

[TITAN]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TITAN', 'M')any countries besides the us and israel own those 2 airframes. We make alot of money selling them spare parts...

Just one example: Venezuela wants to sell Iran their F16s

[Subjectivist]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he U.S. Air Force is laying the groundwork for the F-22 Raptor to serve another 42 years. That means the world’s first fifth-generation fighter, which entered service in 2006, could fly until 2060.

To do so, the Raptor must remain competitive with new Russian and Chinese fighters as well as rival jets still on the drawing board. It will use open architecture computer systems, new weapons, new sensors, and artificial intelligence to stay a step ahead of the competition.

According to Warrior Maven, the Air Force is preparing a list of upgrades for the F-22 that would make up a mid-life update, currently scheduled to begin in 2024. The updates would ensure that a fighter jet first proposed in the 1980s, will have the ability to serve out to 2060 if necessary. Warrior Maven says the service is emphasizing several features: killing enemy jets at farther ranges, more efficiently processing a flood of sensor output, dominating enemy aircraft into the near future, and finally, adding new sensors, weapons, and other capabilities to the Raptor as needed.

To that end, the Air Force wants to switch to a system of common IP protocol standards that would allow new electronics to integrate with the F-22’s computer system. This is the foundation of the upgrade, allowing the other hardware upgrades to take place. Other updates include a lightweight distributed architecture system (DAS), which a network of infrared cameras pointing in all directions to increase pilot situational awareness. The Air Force also wants new antennas that can broadcast and receive without ruining the jet’s stealthy profile, as well as for the F-22 to have the ability to electronically share data through the antennas with friendly air, land, and sea assets.

The artificial intelligence aspect is the most intriguing part of the future Raptor update. Think of a Raptor’s artificial intelligence as a software version of R2-D2 from Star Wars. The AI could process the constant stream of incoming data bombarding the pilot from a variety of sources, including the air-to-air radar, missile warning systems, the DAS, and even ground forces, other aircraft, and ships at sea. The AI could analyze the data and then prioritize, organize, and display the data for the pilot. Freed of the need to look at every new incoming data point and determine if it was useful, the pilot could develop and execute a plan faster than his opponents, not to mention just fly the jet.

Is it possible to future-proof the F-22 four decades in advance? Yes and no. Forty-two years is a long time, and new technologies could evolve that we can’t even imagine right now. The most important part of the upgrade is the “plug and play” computer system, allowing the Raptor to adapt to the changing times and incorporate these new technologies decades down the road. As long as the Raptor can adapt to meet the threat, it should have a fighting chance.

That said, the 2060 timeline isn't a hard one. The Air Force’s F-22 replacement, Penetrating Counter Air, is expected to enter service in the 2030s. As long as the sixth-generation jet doesn’t take 30 years to fully replace the F-22, the Raptor fleet should be retired well before its 50th birthday.