Wired‘s David Axe makes Canberra’s case
The F-22’s long range and twin engines make it a good choice for replacing aged Australia’s F-111s and F/A-18s. On a recent visit, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said there was no reason Canberra couldn’t be trusted with the radar-evading Raptor. “The reality is we have a law that prohibits the United States from selling F-22 to any country,” he added. Since Gates’ comment, Aussie media has only pumped up the volume on its Raptor punditry. Australia’s in the middle of a huge economic boom thanks to its oil and mineral wealth. The government has plowed a big chunk of that windfall into new destroyers and amphibious ships, M-1 tanks, MRAP-style armored trucks, a couple squadrons of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and airborne radar planes. The F-22s would top off what amounts to the biggest rearmament in decades for the island nation. Barring a change of heart by Congress on the F-22 ban, Canberra’s planning on buying F-35s. But the single-engined F-35 is nobody’s favorite.
The next best thing to the U.S. Air Force with Raptors is the RAAF with Raptors. I say work out an airtight security arrangement for protecting the highly classified F-22 schematics from foreign collection and let the Aussies play. It’s the least we can do after decades of unwavering support for our alliance.
