F/A-22 for Australia's new bomber.

Houston, we have a problem with JSF, Robert Gottliebsen - The Australian, 21st Mar 2005

"Unfortunately, it will be a much less stellar performer in critical roles of intercepting high-performance fighters, cruise missiles and strategic bombers and penetrating deep behind enemy defences to gather data and bomb critical targets. It is too small to be an effective cruise missile carrier," they say.

"By focusing on the JSF rather than the F/A-22A, Defence is effectively committing Australia to dependency upon the US Air Force for capabilities that the JSF cannot perform well."

First off, the F/A-22 has a smaller "stealth" bombload than the JSF and neither aircraft has any chance of carrying the current air launched cruise missile used by the USAF.

However a new generation of smaller cruise missiles is under development for use by the JSF.

AGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) - Global Security

JASSM is a precision cruise missile designed for launch from outside area defenses to kill hard, medium-hardened, soft, and area type targets. The threshold integration aircraft are the F-16, B-52, and F/A-18 E/F, and the airframe design is compatible with all JASSM launch platforms: the B-52H, F-16C/D, F/A-18E/F, F-15E, F-117, B-1B, B-2, P-3C and S-3B.

Note the non-mention of F/A-22 in that list.

Finally the F/A-22 might never have those other capabilities added because the United States simply cannot afford the cost of the future spirals to add them for so few aircraft.

Air Force Still Needs Business Case to Support F/A-22 Quantities and Increased Capabilities - GAO

The decision to terminate procurement after fiscal year 2008 places the current modernization plan in doubt as key ground attack and intelligence-gathering enhancements had been slated for aircraft now eliminated from the program. Without a new business case for adding a more robust ground attack capability and for new intelligence missions, the Air Force may be at a disadvantage when the time comes to justify the modernization plan in the face of future budget constraints.

-HJC