Down graded F-22 to sell overseas?

lionnoisy SG

Senator John Warner, Chairman of United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
said on 1 Aug US may sell down graded F-22 Raptor overseas.

Only the airframe and engines would be sold,but not firing control sys.
,among other things.

Chairman ,President and CEO of Boeing will appear before the Committee on 1Aug 2006
evening.

i cant find the news from this site

red_amoeba SG

doubt the usefulness leh...got body no wpns also jia lat.

just like sell operating system but no programs that is compatible to the system also like white elephant...haha...

tankee1981 SG

I guess we just have to wait. Initially when RSAF first bought the F-16 we are also offered the watered down version but as time gone by this plan by the US government to export down graded versons of F-16 is abandoned.

i thought we will most probabily be getting the F-35 so it will be unlikely in the near future that we will be getting the F-22. Very Happy

touchstone_2000 SG

More likely to happen than not. Most of the stealth is in the airframe. Soooo....

I would change the paint composition of the jet. Add in a few discreet reflectors to boost the radar signature to that comparable of an F-16.

Avionics are usual batch of AESA etc can subject to usual clearance.

Pylon mounted sidewinders?

I wonder if the IRST is still on.

insouciant SG

Huh? Why would you want to up the radar signature? The main proposition of buying a F22 would be because of its low radar signature.

Also the F22 currently mounts all it's missles internally.

With all the problems about technology transfer for the F35, I wouldn't be surprised if countries start looking at alternatives. However, at over a hundred million apiece, I don't think the F22 is going to be an attractive option for most countries.

tiggersgd SG

i believe he is trying to say reduce the radar signature.

insouciant SG

Erhhh... But he said and I quote:"I would change the paint composition of the jet. Add in a few discreet reflectors to boost the radar signature to that comparable of an F-16."

mhcampboy SG

Make sure they sell the source code also ar... Mr. Green

touchstone_2000 SG

For a long time, all export version of Russian aircraft have water down avionics, features are removed, like lookup radar etc. This is for the Mig-25 for the Syrians and others.

For the US to sell a stealth fighter that you don't want to fight against, you water down stealth and others. To make a stealth aircraft less stealhty, you boost the radar signature.

insouciant SG

Ahhh... You are stating from the point of the US. Ah so...

Btw, IRST is still being developed. Think the European countries realy want an alternative to AIM9x and ASRAAM.

LazerLordz SG

It could be better, maybe for countries like us, who by that time would have a mature relationship with avionics and system integrators like ST Aero and our favorite partners, Elbit and Rafael.

It would be highly interesting to see a totally different Raptor with joint Israeli and Singaporean FCS.

F-22S? Laughing

Some may laugh at this idea, but I'm not discounting it totally.After all, that time frame we are looking at is 15 years down the road.

spartan6 SG

I would prefer it called SF-01(Singapore Fighter 01) Wink

insouciant SG

It'd be nice, but if the Americans have issues transferring technology on the F35, which is suppose to be "the lower end fighter" vs "higher end fighter" the F22, much like the F16 is to the F15...

Would think they would be downright adamant about NOT giving access to source codes for the F22 then.