New fighter jets pass first training mission test

The nation’s two newest fighter jets finally took to the skies together earlier this month in a joint training exercise at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

In what some are calling “the dawn of a new age in air combat,” F-35 Lightning Strike fighters and F-22 Raptors “flew offensive counter air, defensive counter air, and interdiction missions together, exploring ways to maximize their capabilities,” according to an Air Force news release.

It was a bit of good news for proponents of the controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, which has been plagued by cost overruns and schedule delays that have doubled the cost per plane and delayed full production by six years. The F-35 was supposed to be in service three years ago but is still in the testing phase. The program budget was initially $306 billion but has ballooned to $390 billion so far.

Both the F-22, which entered operational service in 2005, and the F-35 are considered fifth-generation fighter aircraft, which are characterized by significant advances in stealth technology, but also “fusion,” or the ability to network with other combat systems.

“When the F-22 and F-35 come together, it brings out the strength of both airplanes,” said Lt. Col. Matt Renbarger, F-35 pilot and 58th Fighter Squadron commander, in the Air Force news release. “The F-22 was built to be an air-to-air superiority fighter and the F-35 was built to be a strike fighter. These airplanes complement each other and we’re trying to learn how to take that from a design perspective into a tactical arena and be the most effective combat team we can be working with the F-22s.”

At nearly 10 years into its operational life, the F-22 finally made its combat debut during the early stages of Operation Inherent Resolve, against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. But the F-22 is already in need of costly upgrades, adding to the overall expense of transitioning the nation’s fighter fleet to a fifth-generation capability. The Air Force’s chief fighter pilot believes it’s worth risking that transition rather than refurbishing fourth-generation aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16.

“If I do not keep that F-22 fleet viable, the F-35 fleet frankly will be irrelevant,” said Gen. Mike Hostage, commanding general of the Air Combat Command in an interview earlier this year. “The F-35 is not built as an air superiority platform. It needs the F-22.”