Give Air Force a break: F-22 situation is being handled wisely
The Air Force is taking a deliberate, measured approach to an apparent technical problem that has kept its F-22 Raptors on the ground since May 3.
The problem may have contributed to a crash last year that killed Capt. Jeffrey “Bong” Haney, 31, of the 525th Fighter Squadron, the “Bulldogs.”
Haney, a husband and father of two, went down near Anchorage, Alaska. In his last radio call, Haney sounded like he was suffering from hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, according to according to an Alaska newspaper. An airman who claims to have heard the call denied that report.
Something, however, caused Haney to crash. It could have been a flaw in the On-Board Oxygen Generating System, letting carbon monoxide inside the cockpit, or perhaps another malfunction with the fighter. There should be no rush to judgment.
Whatever the problem, it will eventually be fixed — and the 158 Raptors will return to the skies.
The grounding has given more ammunition to critics of the F-22. Some bash it for not having seen combat. Others, most notably former Pentagon analyst Pierre Sprey, pan it for being too complex.
All of these perceptions are wrong.
For the past decade, the U.S. has been fighting with the wrong tools. We’re entering our 11th year in Afghanistan, where we could have defeated al-Qaida in weeks. Had we employed long-range, land-based air power instead of planting boots on the ground, we could have marked victory by late autumn 2001.
No terrorist group ever possessed the means to destroy the United States. “Peer” nations such as Russia and China, or even Iran and North Korea, do. That’s why long-range, land-based air power is the decisive force in war. Boots are good for parades.
We developed the F-22, gave ourselves a spectacular advantage over every other nation and then frittered away our lead by not building enough of the superfighters and not investing in a new bomber. Now, Russia and China are scrambling to catch up.
A modern warplane must be robust, long-range and — Sprey notwithstanding — complex. Today we’re squandering money on flimsy aircraft meant for so-called “counterinsurgency.” We need combat platforms with global reach.
Yes, something is wrong with the F-22, but there’s no need for unjustified haste. We’re not caught up in a “peer” war just now.
During World War II, the Air Force cut corners to field the B-29 Superfortress before it was ready because the war demanded it: More airmen died in B-29s because of engine fires than because of Japanese flak. The pressure isn’t the same for the F-22.
When Air Force leaders do something right, it rarely wins headlines. They’re handling the F-22 problem with exactly the right mix of resources, talent and patience.