While discussing the progress of the new F-35A, a new fighter jet for the U.S. Air Force that is now capable of achieving initial operational capability, Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle said that the aircraft would not run into the same obstacles that hindered the F-22 program.
“On a couple of occasions, we were going to send (the F-22) to different theaters and we didn’t because there were at least a group of people who thought that it was too provocative to send,” he said. “It was less about us not being able to or at least not wanting to; it was more about the message. … We didn’t send it to the Middle East, frankly because it was considered to be a provocative move to send the only 5th-generation fighter in the world to that environment.”
This suddenly explains why we are using technology from the 50's and 80's like the B-52 bomber and harrier jet to strike ISIS.