Editing Advanced Tactical Fighter (section)

==Background==
{{multiple image
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 | footer = Emerging Soviet threats such as [[Mikoyan MiG-29|MiG-29 "Fulcrum"]] (left) and [[Sukhoi Su-27|Su-27 "Flanker"]] (right) would spur the development of the Advanced Tactical Fighter
 | image1 = MiG-29 fuselage.jpg
 | alt1 = MiG-29 "Fulcrum"
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 | image2 = Su-27 05.jpg
 | alt2 = Su-27 "Flanker"
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Although the term "Advanced Tactical Fighter" (ATF) appeared in U.S. Air Force (USAF) parlance as far back as 1971 to describe potential future tactical aircraft, the program that would eventually result in the F-22 began in 1981.<ref>Aronstein and Hirschberg 1998, p. 5.</ref> This was motivated by the shift in U.S. military doctrine towards striking the enemy's rear echelon as eventually outlined in the [[AirLand Battle]] concept, as well as intelligence reports of multiple emerging worldwide threats emanating from the [[Soviet Union]]. Between 1977 and 1979, American satellite photographs of the "''Ram-K''" and "''Ram-L''" fighter prototypes at [[Gromov Flight Research Institute|Ramenskoye air base]] in Zhukovsky—later identified as the [[Sukhoi Su-27|Su-27 "Flanker"]] and the [[Mikoyan MiG-29|MiG-29 "Fulcrum"]] respectively—indicated that a new generation of Soviet fighter aircraft comparable to the recently introduced [[McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle|F-15 Eagle]] and [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16 Fighting Falcon]] would soon enter service.<ref>Aronstein and Hirschberg 1998, pp. 17–18.</ref>

Also concerning were Soviet reports of "[[look-down/shoot-down]]" capability being introduced on an advanced [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25|MiG-25]] derivative, later revealed to be the [[Mikoyan MiG-31|MiG-31 "Foxhound"]], as well as the appearance of an [[Ilyushin Il-76|Il-76]]-based [[airborne warning and control system]] (AWACS) aircraft called the [[Beriev A-50|A-50 "Mainstay"]]. These systems, revealed in 1978, greatly reduced the effectiveness and survivability of [[nap-of-the-earth|low-altitude penetration]]. Furthermore, experience and data from the [[Vietnam War]] and the more recent [[Yom Kippur War|1973 Arab-Israeli war]] demonstrated the increasing lethality and sophistication of Soviet surface-to-air missile systems.<ref>Aronstein and Hirschberg 1998, p. 12.</ref><ref>Metz 2017, pp. 8–10.</ref><ref>Miller 2005, pp. 10–11.</ref>