So what was wrong with the F-22, exactly?
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“So what was wrong with the F-22, exactly?”
It does what it is supposed to do ... not good. But was basically killed by a Democrat amendment forbidding export.
From Newsweek:
On July 17, the Senate voted to stop the F-22 program by a margin of 58–40—a more lopsided margin than administration officials had predicted. It was not a party-line vote: 15 Democrats voted to continue production; 15 Republicans voted with Obama and Gates to kill it. (The F-22’s floor managers were Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., representing Lockheed Martin, the chief contractor, and Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., representing Pratt & Whitney, which makes the engine.) The vote went the way it did because Gates, a widely respected Republican hawk, provided cover for opponents of the program.
From the nyt:
Immediately after the vote, Mr. Obama praised the Senate’s decision, saying that any money spent on the fighter was an “inexcusable waste” - and that by following his lead the Senate had demonstrated a commitment to changing Washington’s ingrained habits.