Published on Apr 20, 2018

In 1981, the U.S. Air Force developed a requirement for an Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) as a new air superiority fighter to replace the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Code named "Senior Sky", this program was influenced by the emerging worldwide threats, including development and proliferation of Soviet Su-27 "Flanker"- and MiG-29 "Fulcrum"-class fighter aircraft.

It would take advantage of the new technologies in fighter design on the horizon, including composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight control systems, more powerful propulsion systems, and stealth technology. The request for proposals (RFP) was issued in July 1986 and two contractor teams, Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics and Northrop/McDonnell Douglas, were selected on 31 October 1986

to undertake a 50-month demonstration phase, culminating in the flight test of two technology demonstrator prototypes, the YF-22 and the YF-23. The program was managed by the Advanced Tactical Fighter Systems Program Office (ATF SPO) located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

"Sir, we have a strange object on the radar. It looks like it might be a bumblebee." "Shoot it down!" "Why, sir?" "Do you know of any bumblebees that can travel at mach 1?"

It is incredible that even now, 30 years after the ATF program had begun, the Raptor still has no equal and is the best air superiority fighter jet in the world. You can't say that the Russians haven't tried, but the SU-57 turned out to be a bondoongle..

Unfortunately we've cut the Raptor production way too soon, and that is on SecDef Hagel's soul. We stopped making them in 2012,the world wasn't so much more different, it was a completely wrong intelligence assesment about our adversary's threat not evolving.

But with the current great power struggle on the table once again we should have at least 400 Raptors to company the F-35s. Hopefully the PCA or Penetrating counter air program for the F-15 successor will speed up its development because US doesn't like to play fair, we like to have the upper hand on our enemies and having an upper hand in war means that you have better technology and training..