Just one thing to note in addition to Noonan’s post. F-22 Raptors from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska conducted their first ever intercept of Russian bombers on Thanksgiving day. There was a similar incident over the summer–disputed by the Pentagon–in which Russian officials claimed that their long-range bombers had overflown Guam and “exchanged smiles” with the American fighters that intercepted them. That earlier incident received far more attention than the incident off the coast of Alaska, despite the fact that the latter incident actually took place–and just off America’s shores. As Noonan says, we’re seeing a resurgent Russian military, buoyed by high oil prices and foreign military sales. And the Chinese aren’t far behind. As the reliability of an aging fleet of F-15s is called into question, the value of the F-22–an aircraft already in production–has become increasingly apparent. Earlier this week, Defense News reported that Congressional support for extending the program was growing–the 2008 appropriations bill suggests that the service redirect $526 million in its 2009 budget from closing down production “to support procurement of an additional 20 aircraft.” It’s clear we will need at least that many more.
