Backtalk: Larger F-22 Raptor force is right idea, but hard to sell

[unhappycamper]

Larger F-22 Raptor force is right idea, but hard to sell
By Robert F. Dorr

The Air Force’s top officer is serious about a new fighter.

“I’ve said all along that we need 381 F-22 Raptors,” said Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley in a Feb. 1 interview at Langley Air Force Base, Va.

“I consider that number a minimum. I want enough F-22s to equip a 24-plane squadron for each of our 10 air and space expeditionary forces, plus robust training and weapons development squadrons.”

Some of the Air Force’s F-15 Eagles had just returned to flight after a grounding caused by structural issues. Three hours after our interview, Lt. Col. Christopher Faurot, call sign “Frenchy,” was dangling from a parachute near Hawaii. Local press reports said Faurot’s F-15D, with the 199th Fighter Squadron of the Hawaii Air National Guard, lost power. The pilot was the sole occupant of the two-seater. He ejected.

“That’s real for me and helps me focus on what’s really important every day,” Moseley said in a follow-up message.


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