This is good news. But don't worry about those stories that say our expensive fighter isn't worth the price because it can't dogfight at close range with much cheaper planes and maintain the same lopsided kill ratios as it does using its full capabilities for long-range plane destruction:
The United States has spent nearly $80 billion to develop the most advanced stealth fighter jet in history, the F-22 Raptor, but the Air Force recently found out firsthand that while the planes own the skies at modern long-range air combat, it is "evenly matched" with cheaper, foreign jets when it comes to old-school dogfighting.
I wouldn't roll up the Raptor on the ground to use its Gatling gun for direct infantry support, and judging the value of the F-22 in dogfighting isn't relevant, either. That isn't its job:
In response to the report, a spokesperson for the Air Force, Lt. Col. Tadd Sholtis, told ABC News that one-on-one combat is only one way to evaluate an aircraft's capabilities and said it's not "necessarily the most relevant to every scenario."
"The F-22 is conceived and employed as part of an integrated force that provides offensive capabilities that make close engagements far less likely while retaining the ability to handle close engagements in tandem with other fighters," he said.
Remember that our Air Force isn't just a fancy plane. It is a system of planes, tactics, logistics, pilots, ground crews, and intelligence that combine to provide the most awesome force for killing people and breaking things from the air that you will find.
If it comes to dogfighting--if anything survives the long-range barrage the Raptors provide--the F-22 can withdraw and leave it to the F-16s and F-15s to tangle with the enemy.
I will admit I have worries about the ability of the F-35 to take over that role.
But right now, our enemies have few bright spots to dwell on as the F-22 returns to full combat readiness.
