USA could start selling the world’s first fifth generation fighter F-22 Raptor allies like Japan, Israel and Australia, subject to the completion of this aircraft for themselves, reports The Drive, referring to declassified documents.
The American publication discloses that there was another option for selling a fighter, providing for a two-year pause in its production. In the first case, the release of 40 aircraft would cost $ 8.3 billion, in the second – 11.6 billion. The publication notes that the F-22 Raptor received three groups of systems, the transmission of technologies of which the US allies were not allowed. One of these groups included in particular, in particular, the improved control of the two-dimensional vector of thrust and the possibility of the fighter to move on supersonic speed in cruising mode.
The Drive notes that part of the technologies that the export F-22 Raptor could receive were subsequently implemented in F-35 Lightning II. It is noted that the United States would not allow local localization of the production of export F-22 Raptor, and its software would be fully closed for buyers.
In September, the American Lockheed Martin Corporation at the 27th International Exhibition MSPO 2021 showed a map with 450 F-35 Lightning II fighters, which in the current decade it is planned to deploy in Europe.