The world's best to be available to America's best - and wealthiest - friends. The export F-22 will doubtlessly be a somewhat toned down version, but will still represent a combat system that will put its operators in a different league for a long time to come. With further US sales prospects limited, Lockheed desperately wants more orders to keep the production lines open. Japan is the most likely prospective buyer, but South Korea and maybe even Australia cannot be ruled out. And of course Tel Aviv will pull out all stops to secure this plane and reassert its air superiority in the Middle East for the next 25 years at least...