Why did the U.S. discontinue production of the F-22 Raptor?

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  1. The U.S. discontinued production of the F-22 Raptor primarily due to a combination of high costs, changing defense priorities, and budget constraints. Here are the main reasons in detail:

    High Cost per Unit:
    The F-22 was extremely expensive to produce. Each aircraft cost around $150 million to $200 million (adjusted for inflation), making it one of the most costly fighter jets ever built. Maintaining and upgrading the fleet was also costly.

    Limited Production Run:
    The original plan was to build about 750 F-22s, but the final number produced was only 187 operational aircraft. The smaller production run made per-unit costs even higher.

    Changing Military Priorities:
    After the Cold War and especially post-9/11, the U.S. shifted focus towards fighting asymmetric warfare and counterinsurgency operations, which put more emphasis on multi-role fighters like the F-35 Lightning II. The F-35 was designed to be cheaper, more versatile, and able to be used by multiple branches of the military.

    Export Ban:
    The U.S. Congress prohibited the export of the F-22 to protect its advanced technology, which limited the potential for foreign sales that could have helped reduce costs through larger production.

    Budget Constraints:
    Defense budgets were tightened in the 2000s, especially with ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, leading to a push for cost-effective platforms rather than expensive specialized fighters.

    The F-22’s advanced capabilities came at a steep cost, and with the shift to new defense strategies and the arrival of the F-35, the U.S. decided to end F-22 production in 2009 to focus resources elsewhere. The existing F-22 fleet continues to serve as a premier air superiority fighter.

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