First of all there is a Federal Law that prohibts the sale of the F-22 to foreign nations and smiply put until such time as that laws is lifted to even suggest that a nation will be able to purchase a stripped down version of the F-22 is a little premature. The other issue you have to deal with is there is no export version of the F-22 that has been developed as of yet so then you have development costs to contend with that raise the overall cost per aircraft that most of these nations do not want to contend with when your looking at an aircraft that is perhaps 200 million dollars a copy. Japan has already seen this to be a big hurdle and has started to develop it's own version of the F-22 and will most likely purchase the F-15X or the F-35 which will most likely be the F-15 as it is more a pure air superiority fighter and the F-35 has many issues to contend with in that envelope when it cannot even defeat current generation Russian fighters in computer sims. In fact one sim by the USAF went so poorly that the RAAF observers claimed the F-35's were clubbed like baby seal's by the Russian fighters. While the F-35 is a fine aricraft for it's intended role it is not an aircraft to fill every role that is required in the air envelope and to assume as much is treading on dangerous ground. In fact the USAF has called for an additional 60 F-22's to fulfill the mission requirements and Gates has decided to end production. This is nothing new for DoD as they tend to not listen to the warfighter when it comes to what they need and more to congressional winds. Want an example. just look at the C-17, the USAF has for the last 5 years said thank you but we have enough C-17's , however in the same Defense bill that cut F-22 production they added an addintional 8 C-17's and more C130J which the Air Force has also said they do not need. What you see now is the same kind of thinking that brought about the early version of the F-4 Phantom that cost so many aviators their lives , you need only look at the thinking that brought about that aircraft to understand the F-35. Again while the F-35 is a good aricraft for it's intended role, it is the result of DoD mentality of "fighting wars on the cheap" when good planning, and good poilcy would go a long way in saving money rather than limiting the warfighters capability. Anyone who thinks for a moment this actually saved any money by cutting this aircraft is sadly mistaken and should do a little more research, because what they will find is the 95,000 people that work on the F-22 in 45 states will have a big negative impact on the economy and they do NOT easily tranistion into the F-35. Further, money saved on the F-22 was eaten up almost instantly on purchases for aircraft the USAF said point blank it does not want or need and it will be further eroded with the cost to shut down production on the F-22. Next up the 17 year long purchase of the Air Force Tanker. ...
A U.S. air-warfare simulation pitting F-35 Joint Strike Fighters versus the latest Russian Su-35 heavy fighters resulted in a clear victory … for the Russians. "The JSF had been clubbed like baby seals by the simulated Sukhois," one Australian opposition politician said, quoting a source close to the simulation.
Joint Strike Fighters ‘Clubbed’ in Computer War Game | Danger Room | Wired.com
The F-22 Raptor is an American air superiority fighter that uses stealth technology. It is considered by the United States Air Force as a critical component of the United States Strike Force. In addition, the F-22 has multiple capabilities that include ground atack, electronics warfare, and signal intelligence roles.
It is claimed by many to be the world's most effective air superiority fighter and it cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.
It is also said to be "most outstanding fighter plane ever built", as claimed by Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Chief of the Australian Defence Force in 2004.
Unlike many other tactical fighters, the opportunity for export is currently non-existent because the export sale of the F-22 is barred by federal law. There was a time in the 1970s when the then-new F-16 was similarly restricted. However, regardless of restrictions, very few allies would even be considered for export sale because the F-22 is such a sensitive and expensive system.
Aviation: Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor
Lockheed Martin's chief financial officer Bruce Tanner, when asked by analysts about the prospects for overseas sales, was pessimistic. "I'm not particularly positive on the ability for us to make [an F-22 export deal] happen in the next few years," he said. Given that the Senate has voted to end funding for the Raptor, it appears as though it is literally the end of the line.
It should not be a surprise. Given the amount of opposition to exports and the fact that it would have cost up to $250 million to develop an exportable version of the stealth fighter, Japan would have had to move mountains to get the aircraft and received better value elsewhere.
The 30 August general elections in Japan look like they may result in a new government. Let's just hope that they will be able to move beyond the F-22 and get on with the much-needed F-X competition as soon as they can.
Japan nears the end of its F-22 courtship - Asian Skies
