Without an adequate number of F-22s, U.S. pilots could have a tough time matching the performance of their Chinese counterparts in a future struggle for control of the Pacific.
Although the number of F-22 fighters was capped at 187, the Air Force would increase its long-range strike capabilities by 50 percent and the penetrating component of long-range strike by a factor of five by 2025.
The Navy insists that it supports the plan of record for the Lockheed Martin plane, but it has already restructured the program once and now is studying whether the number of F-35s in carrier air wings should be cut due to cost constraints.