Cost Sinks F-22 Raptor Data UpgradeApril 08, 2011
 A communications upgrade planned for Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor fighter jet has been scrapped. Top Air Force officials cite the cost and immaturity of the communications upgrade for the decision, according to an article in Defense News. The Air Force's Increment 3.2 upgrade would have provided the Raptor with the Multifunction Advanced Datalink, or MADL, which is being developed for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. “This is a cost and risk calculation on our part,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. “We looked at incorporating the F-35 datalink … onto the airplane but came to the conclusion that it was not yet mature enough.” But one former Air Force official said that the decision to exclude the data link system from the F-22 upgrade is “penny-wise but pound-foolish…. It doesn't do a whole lot of good to build the world's most advanced aircraft and then not to be able to share data automatically with other aircraft in the constellation," retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula told Defense News. He noted that there's still time to mature the system before implementation. "If it was a matter of maturity, why would one cancel instead of delay a program?" he asked. Deptula noted that the scheduled upgrade would not be fielded until 2018, the article reported. "This was a short-sighted budget decision that restricts the capability of the F-22, robbing the U.S. of a key asymmetric advantage," he said. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech Sgt. Jerome S. Tayborn) |
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