The F-22A Raptor will fly until 2060, more than 60 years after the first aircraft took flight. That's the word from the U.S. Air Force, which estimates that the fifth-generation fighter jets could fly for another 43 years with proper upgrades. Whether the Raptor will still be relevant 43 years from now is another question entirely.

According to The National Interest, the Air Force believes it can keep the Raptor fleet, currently at 187 combat-ready aircraft, flying "through 2060" even though the F-22A was designed with an 8,000-hour airframe life. Years of flying these birds has led the service to believe its Raptors can handle at least 12,000 hours of service unmodified, and perhaps as much as 15,000 hours. That's an astonishingly long service life for an airframe subjected to high G-forces practicing for air-to-air combat.

The F-4 Phantom II's airframe , by contrast, was rated for just 3,500 hours of flight. While the F-22A might have been incredibly expensive, it appears likely it will fly three to four times as long as previous fighters.

But will the F-22A be competitive in 2060? According to the article, the Air Force hopes that its next-generation air superiority fighter, now just called Penetrating Counter Air, could work together with the F-22A the same way the F-22A currently works with the F-15C Golden Eagle. The F-22A is scheduled for a major update in the 2025-2030 timeline, likely to be focused on upgraded sensors, particularly the air-to-air radar, and the aircraft's ability to network with other military assets.

Read more at The National Interest.

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