Leaders talk to Congress about long-range strike
WASHINGTON -- A variant of the F/A-22 Raptor is one consideration for the Air Force’s next long-range strike aircraft, the Air Force’s senior leaders said.
Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper met with members of the House Committee on Armed Services on Feb. 26 to discuss the Air Force’s portion of the 2005 National Defense Authorization budget request.
Two congressmen, Ike Skelton from Missouri and Dr. Phil Gingrey of Georgia, specifically asked about the service’s plan to upgrade the long-range bomber force.
“We’re trying to define what piece of technology we need to take the big leap to be able to do long-range strike,†General Jumper said. “One of the candidates is a variation of the F/A-22, taking full advantage of the development work that’s been done on that airplane.â€
Selecting the F/A-22 as the basis for the new bomber makes sense because it would be very efficient to build, the secretary said.
“It is a bomber variant of the F/A-22, which would give it dramatically greater range -- somewhat short of the B-2 Spirit -- but still it’s able to fight and depart quickly,†Secretary Roche said. “A problem with our very large bombers is they don’t have the ability to fight on their own and, given where we’re thinking of using very stealthy systems, the ability to escape a particular problem -- or to shoot back and scoot out -- is very important.â€
The secretary admitted that the F/B-22 would not be able to carry as much ordnance as heavy bombers, but the use of precision-guided munitions would more than make up the difference. [Hmm... :roll] The F/B variant of the Raptor would also have larger wings than the F/A model.
“We now have weapons that are so … precise, that instead of talking about how many aircraft do we need to attack a target, it’s how many targets can we attack with one flight of the airplane,†he said.
To illustrate his point, the secretary told the congressmen about the recent successful test of a new bomb rack for the B-2. The bomber was able to drop, 80 500-pound joint direct attack munitions, each individually programmed.
“In the case of the F/B-22, we are looking for something that can compliment the F/A-22, which will be a deep-strike system … but will be more regional than continental,†Secretary Roche said.
The F/B-22 would also address the issue of balancing standoff capability and proximity, General Jumper said.
“A regional-type bomber is attractive because it is able to penetrate deep, loiter for long periods of time and work problems on the ground with a very short time of flight of the weapon because it’s overhead,†the general said.
General Jumper said that some standoff weapons, such as cruise missiles, could require an hour or more of flight time to get to the target.
“It’s the time-of-flight balance that you’re searching for in what makes a weapon such as this attractive,†he said. “It has to be stealthy. It has to retain, in this case, the benefits of supercruise, to aid in its penetration and to loiter for long periods of time.â€
Source: United States Air Force
WASHINGTON -- A variant of the F/A-22 Raptor is one consideration for the Air Force’s next long-range strike aircraft, the Air Force’s senior leaders said.
Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper met with members of the House Committee on Armed Services on Feb. 26 to discuss the Air Force’s portion of the 2005 National Defense Authorization budget request.
Two congressmen, Ike Skelton from Missouri and Dr. Phil Gingrey of Georgia, specifically asked about the service’s plan to upgrade the long-range bomber force.
“We’re trying to define what piece of technology we need to take the big leap to be able to do long-range strike,†General Jumper said. “One of the candidates is a variation of the F/A-22, taking full advantage of the development work that’s been done on that airplane.â€
Selecting the F/A-22 as the basis for the new bomber makes sense because it would be very efficient to build, the secretary said.
“It is a bomber variant of the F/A-22, which would give it dramatically greater range -- somewhat short of the B-2 Spirit -- but still it’s able to fight and depart quickly,†Secretary Roche said. “A problem with our very large bombers is they don’t have the ability to fight on their own and, given where we’re thinking of using very stealthy systems, the ability to escape a particular problem -- or to shoot back and scoot out -- is very important.â€
The secretary admitted that the F/B-22 would not be able to carry as much ordnance as heavy bombers, but the use of precision-guided munitions would more than make up the difference. [Hmm... :roll] The F/B variant of the Raptor would also have larger wings than the F/A model.
“We now have weapons that are so … precise, that instead of talking about how many aircraft do we need to attack a target, it’s how many targets can we attack with one flight of the airplane,†he said.
To illustrate his point, the secretary told the congressmen about the recent successful test of a new bomb rack for the B-2. The bomber was able to drop, 80 500-pound joint direct attack munitions, each individually programmed.
“In the case of the F/B-22, we are looking for something that can compliment the F/A-22, which will be a deep-strike system … but will be more regional than continental,†Secretary Roche said.
The F/B-22 would also address the issue of balancing standoff capability and proximity, General Jumper said.
“A regional-type bomber is attractive because it is able to penetrate deep, loiter for long periods of time and work problems on the ground with a very short time of flight of the weapon because it’s overhead,†the general said.
General Jumper said that some standoff weapons, such as cruise missiles, could require an hour or more of flight time to get to the target.
“It’s the time-of-flight balance that you’re searching for in what makes a weapon such as this attractive,†he said. “It has to be stealthy. It has to retain, in this case, the benefits of supercruise, to aid in its penetration and to loiter for long periods of time.â€
Source: United States Air Force