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Journalism of Courage
On Saturday (February 4), the United States carried out an elaborate operation to shoot down a Chinese balloon spotted in the skies last week, off the coast of South Carolina. While China agreed that it was their balloon, it claimed the object was a weather balloon and denied charges of spying.
While multiple aircraft were supposedly used, it was an F-22 Raptor which fired the missile that brought the balloon down.
The F-22 Raptor is the U.S. Air Force’s crown jewel – the most advanced aircraft in the world with capabilities that tower over almost anything any other nation can put up. There have been a total of 195 Raptors produced by Lockheed Martin, all of them in service of the USAF.
On Saturday, the F-22 scored its first “air-to-air” combat kill. Using a $400,000 AIM 9X Sidewinder missile, the F-22 destroyed the balloon with observers claiming that they “felt” the explosion, before the balloon dropped into the ocean. Many observers questioned the need of using such an expensive jet to take down something relatively harmless, such as a high-altitude balloon.
However, the balloon’s altitude might have had something to do with the decision. Among the fighters the U.S. possesses, the F-22 has the highest service ceiling and is the most capable of conducting a precision strike at those heights. According to the Department of Defence, the F-22 fired the Sidewinder at the balloon from an altitude of 58,000 feet. The balloon at the time was between 60,000 and 65,000 feet.
Most fighter jets operate at lower altitudes and even if they are theoretically capable of reaching altitudes that the balloon was flying in, there are questions with regard to their operational capabilities at those heights.
The F-22 Raptor is a 5th Generation stealth tactical fighter aircraft, designed as an air superiority fighter, though with ground attack and advanced electronic warfare capabilities. The aircraft first flew in 1997 and was officially inducted into service with the USAF in 2005.
According to the U.S. DoD claims, the aircraft has the ability to supercruise (sustain supersonic flight without the use of afterburners) as well as never before seen thrust-vectoring capabilities which provide it great manoeuvrability and performance ideal for dog fights. However, it is the aircraft’s stealth capabilities and advanced sensors and weapons systems that make it the best air superiority fighter in the world.
According to reports, the F-22 has a radar cross-section of 0.0001 sq. m., about the size of a bumble bee. For comparison, conventional fighters like the Sukhoi Su-30 have a cross-section of around 4-20 sq. m. This makes the F-22 nearly invisible to enemy radar and detection systems providing it with a huge advantage on the battlefield. On the other hand, the F-22 itself has some of the most advanced sensors in the world, capable of neutralising targets well before they enter the visual range.
Currently, the F-22 is one of only two fifth-generation fighters in full service – the other being the F-35, also used by the U.S.
With its advanced systems comes a hefty price tag, which has been at the centre of much debate and criticism in the U.S. The Raptor is the single most expensive military aircraft ever built with a per-unit cost pegged to be between $130 and $300 million (depending on how research and development costs are calculated). For comparison, a Su-35 costs less than $100 million per aircraft.
In addition to that, the F-22 is also one of the most expensive aircraft to operate, with an average cost per flying hour computed to be around $68,000 according to DOD estimates, more than triple of most Russian fighters. Cost overruns were one of the most important factors behind F-22 production being cut short, from an original plan of 750 jets to 187 (plus eight test aircraft).
