AF of the Future
BACKGROUND PAPER ON STEALTH TECHNOLOGY – THE AIRCRAFT OF THE FUTURE Have you ever wondered where the future of the Air Force’s (AF) aircraft will be going? ... ” “The AF is staking its future on stealth and is determined not to turn back. ... The development of the F-117 has opened the door to other aircraft, the B-2 “Spirit” Bomber and the F/A-22 Raptor, for example, are the AF’s newest and future stealth aircraft. ... Aircraft design of the future seems to be the way the AF will use this miraculous technology. ... af. ... As you can see, stealth technology is steering the AF into the direction for most aircraft of the future. The next scheduled combat aircraft due into the AF inventory, sometime around 2005, is the F/A-22 Raptor. ... As with the F-117 and the B-2, the F/A-22 will most defiantly be changing the way the AF uses aircraft during combat missions. ... With its ability to move around with stealth technology, fewer planes can do the mission with greater accuracy and with that said, in this day and age with all the cutbacks, you can see where stealth aircraft will prove to be a vital asset in the AF inventory.