PART TWO

I think we need to consider why the US has chosen not to CURRENTLY export the F-22? Remembering that other US aircraft have had temporary export bans in the past that have then been lifted.

It seems logical that non export of the F-22 is because it CURRENTLY has such an technological edge and contains such sensitive technologies that the US does not yet want to share it.

The current ban also provides the US with political advantages by being able to extract concessions in many areas (political, economic etc) from would-be recipient countries. Israel and to a lesser extent Japan (and our ALP) have expressed an interest in acquiring the F-22. Israel tends to eventually get what it wants from the Americans.

Sooner or later the F-22 will be seen as being less ahead of the pack and the US for political and economic reasons will start to sell it to preferred countries (eg Australia). If those countries have already ordered the JSF then Hey, Lockheed (which sells the F-22 AND the JSF) gets two bites of the cherry. This will provide a greater overall benefit to the US government and industry but will prove a burden on those countries suckered into buying the inferior JSF first and then buying the F-22 (because the US will have shrewdly timed its release).

Pete
http://spyingbadthings.blogspot.com/