i think this is immensely important to consider when trying to sort out the f22
Quote:
Origins
In 1981 the United States Air Force (USAF) developed a requirement for a new air superiority fighter, the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF), to replace the capability of the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, primarily the F-15A, B, C and D variants. ATF was a demonstration and validation program undertaken by the USAF to develop a next-generation air superiority fighter to counter emerging worldwide threats, including development and proliferation of Soviet-era Su-27 "Flanker"-class fighter aircraft. It was envisioned that the ATF would incorporate emerging technologies including advanced alloys and composite materials, advanced fly-by-wire flight control systems, higher power propulsion systems, and low-observable/stealth technology.
A request for proposal (RFP) was issued in July 1986, and two contractor teams, Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics and Northrop/McDonnell Douglas were selected in October 1986 to undertake a 50-month demonstration/validation phase, culminating in the flight test of two prototype aircraft, the YF-22 and the YF-23. Each design team produced two prototypes featuring one of two engine options, one featuring thrust vectoring. The Pratt & Whitney F119 turbofan with vectored thrust was found to be worth the extra expense and complexity, as it permits a tighter turning radius, a valuable capability in dogfights.
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this project began with a early 1980s view on the enemy as we understood it. the pentagon gets rolling on projects like these that take decades to implement. and in the decades since the beginning of the raptor, the enemy evolved. we still have a threat the f22 can deal with (north korea, as per the article).