SA-20s Wouldn’t Threaten F-22 Raptors, But Perhaps Would Imperil F-35s, B-2s

Russia is selling highly sophisticated SA-20 long-range air defense missiles to Iran, weapons that wouldn’t endanger super-stealthy F-22 Raptor strike fighters, but which might imperil the less-stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (Lightning II) and B-2 bombers, according to a report in Aviation Week and other news media.

The development comes as Israel is mulling whether to use its non-stealthy aircraft to strike and annihilate Iranian nuclear production sites, after the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran already has produced enough fissile material to fashion one nuclear weapon, and likely will be able to make several atomic bombs by the end of next year. (Please see Space & Missile Defense Report, Monday, Dec. 8, 2008.)

As well, the SA-20 sale would come as Congress is considering whether to continue funding production of Raptors beyond the 203 now planned. Raptor buys have been slashed from the 750 originally envisioned, to the 381 the Air Force still says it requires, to 277, to 179, up to 183, and then to 203. Because the Air Force won’t buy 750 as first planned, the cost per aircraft climbed sharply to an average of more than $300 million per plane, though the fly-away cost of producing one more Raptor now is less than half that. Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] makes the Raptor, the most advanced air dominance strike fighter on the planet. Lockheed also is developing the F-35 for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, and for several allied nations. There is strong opposition among some members of Congress to any sales of Raptors outside the United States, even to allied nations, given the billions of U.S. tax dollars spent on developing the Raptor (originally the Advanced Tactical Fighter) over decades.