The U.S. Air Force’s plans to retire aging F-22 Raptors in fiscal 2023 aren’t flying with some members of Congress, who want to force the service to keep and upgrade all of the stealth fighter airframes to combat-ready status.
In the $773 billion Department of Defense fiscal year 2023 budget submitted to Congress, the Air Force proposed retiring 33 Block 20 fighter jets currently used for training and non-combat operations, culling its F-22 fleet of fewer than 190 airframes by 33.
