Retired Gen. Richard Hawley, former commander of Air Combat Command, commented at the CSBA forum that he still believes the Air Force can cut back its fighter force by a third because new fighters are at least 10 times more effective and capable than their predecessors. Hawley maintains that does not mean he advocates fewer F/A-22 Raptors. He urges just the opposite. He says of the Pentagon-imposed buy of only 180 Raptors, “We need more F-22s, not less.” Hawley asserts that the Pentagon could have gone with a somewhat smaller production rate, to provide more procurement flexibility in case of a surprise. “We get surprised all too often,” he said.
The advanced F-47 sixth-generation fighter remains on track to fly in the next two years, the senior Air Force acquisition officer overseeing the program said Feb. 25, as the service continues on its ambitious schedule to debut the air superiority-focused fighter by 2028—only three years after the contract was awarded…