F-22 necessary for any pre-emptive strike on Iran

ARLINGTON, Va., March 24 (UPI) -- Definitive signs of weapons deployment by a bellicose regime in Iran might lead to a decision in favor of pre-emptive, multinational action. While none would be eager for this kind of scenario, the fact remains that it would task Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptors heavily.

A combat scenario would most likely involve careful strikes on selected Iranian military installations and weapons facilities. Iran's air defenses will be clustered close together. By 2015, Iran's air defenses will include fully deployed SA-10 and SA-20 surface-to-air missiles. The minimum ranges of these surface-to-air missiles exceed 75 miles. Laced together along the coast, they will provide effective lockout of "aluminum" aircraft such as the Boeing F-15 Eagle, the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon and the U.S. Navy's Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

Beyond the coastal surface-to-air missile belt, the Iranian air force will be on the lookout for strikers that make it through. Published sources indicate that Iran's air force has about 100 modern fighter and attack aircraft. These range from the highly capable Russian-built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 to older aircraft such as the French Dassault Mirage F-1 and the U.S.-built Grumman F-14, which may be too old to be effective because of limited maintenance.

Russian-built Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft are also in the inventory. While only the MiG-29 would pose a credible challenge, other aircraft armed with air-to-air missiles could significantly complicate matters for attacking aircraft.

The aim of a U.S.-led strike would be to achieve objectives and be both surgical and survivable. F-22s would today be the only fighter aircraft capable of the mission.

What would happen if the deployment order for such a strike was issued? F-22s would be required for two missions. First, packages of F-22s would most likely lead strikes to disable surface-to-air missiles. Some F-22s would also strike ground targets, and others might support the B-2 on missions to drop heavier, penetrating weapons.

Second, a coalition force would have to ensure air supremacy over the Persian Gulf in case of counterattacks by Iran on nations supporting the activity. Defense against cruise missiles would be a large part of the task. In Operation Desert Storm in 1991, a major concern of Gulf state allies was to make sure no bombs fell on their territory. Preventing even nuisance attacks from cruise missiles or Iranian fighters will require extensive combat air patrols over several nations. While other aircraft will assist, the cruise missile defense role in particular will require the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor's radar search volume and quick-dash capacity to engage missiles in flight.

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(Part 8: Dealing with the return of Russia as a world power)

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(Rebecca Grant, Ph.D., is a senior fellow of the Lexington Institute, a non-profit public-policy research organization based in Arlington, Va.)

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(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)