It is well known that the United States has the largest defense budget on the planet. The United States spends more on six military branches of the country than the next nine countries combined. Outside the United States, defense contractors (with government permission) sell arms and weapons to other countries around the world, and the United States is no exception. In fact, the United States is the largest arms exporter on the planet.
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With the country’s global defense market share of just over 40%, the United States is hands-off when it comes to selling weapons systems to its allies. These include everything from the M1 Abrams main battle tank and the F-16 Fighting Falcon to the incredibly advanced fifth-generation fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning II, and a variety of other active and passive defense systems. Includes: Despite sending cutting-edge aircraft and armored systems to other countries, there is one piece of equipment that the United States has not exported. It’s an F-22 Raptor.
The F-22 is an incredibly capable supercruise fighter and the world’s first fifth-generation fighter. It is so advanced that most of its capabilities are classified as top secret, and for this and other reasons, the United States absolutely prohibits its export to any country in the world, ally or not. I’m doing it. One of the most important technologies holding back sales of this fighter jet revolves around its stealth capabilities, all because of a law signed in 1998.
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Congress blocks F-22 sales
In 1998, the 98th Congress passed an amendment to HR 2266 to absolutely prohibit the approval or licensing of “the sale of the F-22 advanced tactical fighter aircraft to foreign governments” under Section 8117. This single line of text is a legal measure to ensure that the F-22 will not be sold to foreign countries, but the bill does not explain why Congress took this action. In 2009, the Senate moved to develop the F-22 for export, but HR 2266 prohibited development.
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Despite the ban, it is still being considered, and Warzone has obtained a copy of the U.S. Air Force’s Export Feasibility Project, which estimates the cost of developing such an exportable fighter. If the United States had gone ahead with this plan, the cost would have been around $13 billion, but it is unclear how much of an impact such fighter sales would have had on the United States. The proposed fighter jet would need to replace most of its advanced systems, most of which are highly classified and redacted in official documents.
The F-22 is currently not in production, although America’s allies have expressed interest in purchasing the aircraft. The program ended in 2011 in favor of the more advanced F-35, which was cheaper to produce and more versatile. All told, only 195 of the 750 planned F-22s were actually built, but interest in their potential availability never completely waned. Despite its problems and incredible cost, the F-22 remains a formidable aircraft with unparalleled capabilities found in fifth-generation fighters.
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Why is the F-22 so desirable and not an ally of the US?
The F-22 was designed as America’s newest air superiority fighter to replace the F-15 Eagle. It features sensors that enable extensive situational awareness within the aircraft, which is highly manoeuvrable and incredibly fast. It has a top speed of over Mach 2.0 (1,535 mph) and also has a supercruise feature that allows it to cruise at speeds over Mach 1.5 (1,151 mph) without afterburning. This feature makes the F-22 nearly impossible to catch in air combat.
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It has thrust vectoring capabilities that can push 35,000 pounds. Thrust from each of the two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines. When it comes to weapon systems, the F-22 packs a lot of strength inside, with three internal arsenals capable of carrying two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and six AIM-120 AMRAAM radar-guided missiles. Equipped with: It can also carry two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAM bombs or eight small-diameter bombs. It is also equipped with an M61A2 20mm gun.
Because they are carried onboard, they do not interfere with the aircraft’s stealth capabilities, making the F-22 highly desirable as an air superiority fighter. While it certainly has the capabilities needed to win dogfights and destroy targets on the ground, the F-22 remains on sale as the only operational aircraft is actively used by the U.S. Air Force. Most likely not, and this is prohibited. They can be sold at any time unless Congress changes the law passed in 1998.
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