The world's most expensive fighter aircraft was delivered to the US air force last week amid criticism that its role is already obsolete and that a new generation of cheaper aircraft can do its job nearly as well.
The F/A-22 Raptor was dreamed up in the 1980s to counter fighter aircraft that the Soviet Union was planning to build. But while the Soviet designs were junked after the collapse of communism, the American designs survived.
The plane is a manoeuvrable stealth jet capable of hitting air and ground targets, destroying cruise missiles, and sustained flight at supersonic speeds. But this performance comes at a price - $133 million per plane. The jet may be ideal for cold war operations, but not so good for today's cost-conscious military. Even so, the US air force plans to buy 277 of them from US aerospace company Lockheed Martin.
The Raptor is intended to replace the ageing fleet of F-15 fighters but the F/A-35 Joint Strike Fighter also being developed by Lockheed Martin could probably do the job equally well. "It might have 90 per cent of the overall performance, but at a significantly lower cost, so you could afford more of them," says Jacques Gansler, a former undersecretary of defence in the Clinton administration.
The costs of the F/A-35 are being carefully controlled. And because its design appeals to a wider range of customers, these costs can be spread more widely. The result? A high-performance aircraft that is expected to sell for a mere $40 million each. It is due for delivery around 2010.
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