Pimping the F-22

This month's Atlantic has an interesting article on the F-22. The author leans very heavily toward pushing the need for the F-22 to replace the Air Force's aging F-15 fighter, based on the idea that other countries are now flying the Russian-made SU-30 and MiG-29s, as well as retrofitting older jets with new avionics and fire-and-forget missiles which make them much more lethal.

I was really surprised that the author didn't at all mention the Navy's air-combat capabilities when discussing the aging F-15. The Navy's F/A-18D and F/A-18E Superhornets came into service in the late '90s. Although they share a lot of components with the earlier Hornets, they're still very new planes with state-of-the-art avionics packages. They also have the advantage of being able to be launched from carriers (without having to negotiate with Uzbek dictators for bases) and can fulfill multiple roles- air-superiority, tactical support of ground troops and even as tankers to support other fighters. The failure to even mention the Navy or the Superhornet really damages the piece and makes it seem a much more one-sided toward pimping the newest Air Force kit.