F-22 needed against upgraded Russian air combat capabilities

ARLINGTON, Va., March 27 (UPI) -- The developments most likely to interrupt the ability of the United States to carry out missions up to and including conventional airstrikes and thus imperil deterrence come from a range of technologies. Developments in these areas can be seen as pacesetters.

-- Fighters. After a long lull, the world fighter market has seen new procurement plans and research on advanced types. First up are variants incorporating advanced tracking and targeting systems explicitly intended to match current U.S. fighters. In March 2008, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the defense ministry to add more Sukhoi Su-35s and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-35s -- an upgrade of the MiG-29 Fulcrum -- in the interim before Sukhoi's "fifth-generation" PAK-FA type is developed, Alexey Komarov reported in his article "Bear Market" in Aviation Week and Space Technology on March 3, 2008.

Together, Russia and China have 12 open military-aircraft production lines.

-- Jammers. Digital radio-frequency memory is an electronics countermeasure technology that samples and digitally duplicates a waveform. The digitized waveform can be reconstructed at will and projected back to give false information on position, speed, heading and more.

-- Infrared search and track. New systems like the one incorporated on the MiG-35 are capable of passive detection of heat from air resistance on a missile nose cone. Coupled with laser range-finding or other techniques, infrared search and track offers a potential fire control solution, too. While IRST has some operational disadvantages, it has the potential to be a formidable new weapon.

-- Ultra-long-range missiles. According to the Air Force, new missiles are under development that will cut into some Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile and stealth tactics. Longer-range adversary missiles will make fighter aircraft speed crucial because it enables the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor to engage at longer ranges with the same effect.

These are just some of the technical trends relevant to conventional deterrence as it relates to the ability to conduct air strikes. Many of these technologies debuted in rudimentary form years ago, and most are in the inventory or well within reach of the U.S. and Western partners. Together, they open tactical possibilities that present a near-even match with current U.S. fighters.

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor was designed to combat developments like these. Much of its edge is built into the aerodynamics of the platform. The whole intent of the F-22 Raptor was to create one fighter with the performance to ensure superiority against upgraded and new adversary fighters, even as they add advanced capabilities.

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Part 11: The primary role of fifth-generation air superiority fighters in guaranteeing the deterrence capabilities of the U.S. Air Force.

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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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