But in the big picture of things, the F-22 production line could have been kept open and jobs could have been saved for the cost of a day and a half of the cost of the "Stimulus Package."
Posted on 07/30/2009 11:28:07 AM PDT by Yo-Yo
WASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday killed new funding for the disputed F-22 fighter jet program as part of a $636.3 billion military spending bill that was expected to clear the chamber.
House action on a vote of 269-165 to bury additional production of Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-22 solidified an important victory for the Obama administration on procurement reform and nullified a veto threat over the matter.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
More job losses! Good going Democrats!
How many earmarks and for what amount were part of this Bill? Along with that, who put the earmarks in the Bill.
Well maybe the chinese will take it off our hands.
Aircraft maker Boeing Co said announced Pentagon cuts would claim 1,000 jobs in its defense business, affecting staffing at various U.S. work sites in missile defense and in the Army's Future Combat Systems modernization program, which is being opened to more competition.
Boeing, which has also been hit by the slump in commercial aerospace, declined to say whether the defense staff cuts were included in 10,000 jobs set to be pared companywide this year.
Congress is debating the Obama administration's fiscal 2010 defense budget request and has proposed changes, including adding back funding for some programs that the administration seeks to cut.
But in the big picture of things, the F-22 production line could have been kept open and jobs could have been saved for the cost of a day and a half of the cost of the "Stimulus Package."
An “important victory” for who? Iran? Red China? Every place this jet would have kicked a$$ is going to benefit from this debacle. Twenty years to develop a capability and less than 6 months to kill it. It makes me sick.
Thanks for the info. And those are professional jobs. Not Obama’s crappy shovel jobs.
Obama’s goal of taking down the last superpower is still on track.
Can’t have world government if a superpower exists.
Can’t have a superpower without de-industrializing it.
In 1977, Jimmuh Carter killed the B-1.
In 1981, Ronald Reagan resurrected the B-1.
More Raptors delayed until 2010 when the rats get voted out of office. It's a dang good chance the House flips back to the Republicans.
And those young enough will do well to remember this event. Eventually we’ll get into a pissing match with......say, China...where we’ll discover that our military cannot keep up with the advanced foreign aircraft. Many good men will die defending America and we’ll hear how America needs to “catch up”. It happened in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Thanks to President Reagan it didn’t happen in Iraq.
But....wait, maybe in 20 years YoBama will still be President and he’ll apologize and give China the rest of America. I’m glad I won’t see that........I’ll be “taking a pill”.
No, that is an important step forward in the disarming of America.
Likewise, the basic F-22A Raptor is a tremedous dog-fighter, and with it's extremely high ceiling and supercruise, it can be places that the Chinese can't expect or challenge.
But it's electronics were designed almost two decades ago, and could greatly benefit from systems designed for the F-35. In about four years, we could definately use an F-22B program that provides the Raptor with the F-35's sensor fusion, data link sharing, and helmet mounted cueing and system displays.
In some respects, the F-16s we sold to Saudi Arabia are more technically advanced than the F-22A.
Sorry, the F-16E/F Block 60 was sold to the UAE, not Saudi Arabia.
My recall of the B-1 that Carter killed is reflected below:
"The B-1 Lancer is a strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force. First envisioned in the 1960s as a supersonic bomber with sufficient range and payload to replace the B-52 Stratofortress, it developed primarily into a low-level penetrator with long range and supersonic speed capability. Its development was stopped and restarted multiple times over its history, as the theory of strategic balance changed from flexible response to mutually assured destruction and back again. It eventually entered service more than 20 years after first being studied."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-1_Lancer
The B-1B was updated but it was still the same basic A/C that Carter killed.
People like you said the same thing before WWII... It is always best to be prepared..
Grow up, the year is 2009, those people have nuclear weapons. No one but no one is going to be fly a stupid dog fighting plane over their country unless you want to write off the western united states.
The list, ping
This isn't about procurement reform, this is about clearing the deck of outyear spending on the military so Obama can spend even more money on his social programs.
It is true that the B-1A was to have low level penetration, but it was still planned to be a mach 2+ strategic bomber. The B-1B had an increased payload, decreased top speed, and although many conventional weapons integration too way too long, it became a multi-role bomber. I believe the B-1B also lost the B-1A’s F-111 style crew ejection module for conventional ejection seats.
And of course you are correct about the XB-70, the aircraft that Soviets designed the MiG-25 for. The Valkyrie had no low-level capabilities at all.
“...sensor fusion, data link sharing, and helmet mounted cueing and system displays” are already on the latest active versions of the F22, and work with AWACs to locate and direct lessor planes like the F16 to targets.
The F16’s may or may not have something advanced on them, but nothing classified, further the F16 has been superseded as an air superiority fighter by several versions of existing Flankers and holds no threat to later models, let alone SU’s next generations.
“F-22A Raptor is a tremedous dog-fighter” and there is no existing or future planned plan which negates its effectiveness; in short the F22 is not just a “tremendous” dog-fighter, but the most superior fighter ever built.
Sounds like you must be in either the “feed the homeless first” group, or the “drones are the future” camp. Could be wrong, but that's how it sounds.
And yes the Chinese and Russian Mil and their 3rd country advisers will expect them in those “places” and try hitting them with anti-access weapons, which neither the F16 nor the F35 can defeat. Those are the weapons the F22 was designed to take out before the F16s or F35s entered the combat zone.
Neither the Russian nor the Chinese Mils are stupid - that honor falls to the US’s Mil perfumed princes, who like Sec. Gates are in the game for the power and politics - winning wars are optional as are the weapons to achieve victory.
Cheers
The “Stimulus Package” was of course never designed to save or create any jobs. For a couple of more days likely we could have had all 750 built.
Wait til you see how many professional jobs are lost when Our Dear Leader ends NASA’s manned space program...
“Obama’s goal of taking down the last superpower is still on track.
“Can’t have a superpower without de-industrializing it.
“Can’t have world government if a superpower exists.”
Can’t have a world government without de-stabilizing the superpower.
Can’t have a world government without Obama to head it.
It is important for the Soviets to be able to sell more fighters in order to advance the Ci-cago agenda.
I beg to differ. Helmet cueing is not part of any F-22, nor part of any planned upgrades. Very interesting reading:
And Dave Majumdar's article that the above Dew Line blog post is based on: Sharpening the Raptor's talons
...Unfortunately, while Increment 3.2 includes a HOBS capable weapon, it does not include provisions for a helmet mounted cueing system (HMCS), which some consider as being essential. “The JROC validated F-22 Capabilities Production Document, which defines requirements for all Increment 3 changes, does not include provisions for a HMCS. A HMCS may be considered as part of the post Increment 3 trade space”, Miller said. However, the addition of the AIM-9X will significantly increase the Raptor’s within visual range combat prowess even without such a helmet.
...
Despite the addition of the MADL, the F-22 will retain its own proprietary Intra-flight Data Link (IFDL). The one major shortcoming of the new MADL data link is that it does nothing to address the inability of the Raptor to transfer data off-board to legacy fourth generation aircraft such as the F-15s or F-16s except by means of voice communications.
Don’t get your panties in a bunch. China was used as an example. If it bothers you so much, replace China with Venezuela.
I guess this means the Russians and the Chinese will be scrapping their 5th Generation Stealth Fighter Programs.
Remember Obama saying he wouldn't weaponize space? I'm sure as soon as those words exited his mouth, the Russians and Chinese scrapped their Space Weaponization plans as well.
Chamberlain had nothing on Barry Sortero.
Guess the USA is getting out of the business of building (good) Jet Fighters. Hopely the Russian will sells us some of thiers. I am pretty sure the magic bullet F-35 is going to be a dud in Air to Air.
Yeah, you’re right. I don’t think the first shoe has even hit the floor yet.
ROFLOL,
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.