US Air Force's $ 79bn F-22 fighter 'evenly matched' with cheaper jets in 'dogfights': Report

Washington, July 31 (ANI): United States Air Force's most advanced stealth fighter jet in history, the F-22 Raptor, maybe at par when it comes to modern long-range air combat, but it is "evenly matched" with cheaper, foreign jets when it comes to 'old-school dog fighting', according to a report.

A report by Combat Aircraft Monthly revealed that in a handful of missions designed to test the F-22, which cost the U.S. Government nearly 80 billion dollars, in a very specific situation, such as close-range, one-on-one combats, the jet appeared to lose its pricey advantages over its rival, the Euro-fighter Typhoon, flown by German airmen.

"We expected to perform less with the Euro-fighter, but we didn't. We were evenly matched. They didn't expect us to turn so aggressively," the ABC News quoted a German air officer Marc Grune, as saying.

"In the dogfight the Euro-fighter is at least as capable as the F-22, with advantages in some aspects," another German pilot added, referring to the point when fighters engage in close-up dog fighting.

The same report cited that the F-22's capabilities are "overwhelming" when it comes to modern, long-range combat.

A spokesperson for the Air Force claimed that even though 'one-on-one' combat maybe only one way to evaluate an aircraft's capabilities, it's not "necessarily the most relevant to every scenario."

"The F-22 is conceived and employed as part of an integrated force that provides offensive capabilities that make close engagements far less likely while retaining the ability to handle close engagements in tandem with other fighters," the spokesperson said. (ANI)