Chambliss, Isakson show their priorities

The Columbia County News-Times ^ | August 12, 2009 | Tom Crawford

[Pan_Yan]

If you are trying to figure out what your congressmen really believe in, don't focus on what they say - look closely at what they do when it comes time to vote.

A good example of that involves Georgia's two senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, and their approach to spending about $2 billion of your money.

The two senators, especially Chambliss, have worked hard this summer to take nearly $2 billion out of the defense budget and earmark it for the building of more F-22 fighter jets at Marietta's Lockheed Martin plant.

...

Here are some criticisms of the F-22 that come not from left-wing commentators, but from weapons experts and Pentagon analysts:

- The F-22 requires more than 30 hours of maintenance for every hour it spends in the skies. It costs nearly $50,000 an hour to fly one, which is much higher than the cost of the jet it is supposed to replace.

- The F-22 is a "stealth" fighter that is supposed to be hard for radar to detect. Its radar-absorbing metallic skin is the main cause of maintenance problems, including problems flying in rainy weather.

- In the period from October 2008 to May of this year, only 55 percent of the F-22s deployed have been available to fulfill their missions guarding U.S. airspace.

- The F-22's radar-absorbing canopy has been a source of problems, with a stuck hatch imprisoning a pilot in 2006. The canopy doesn't last more than 18 months because it loses its strength.

- Canopy visibility for the F-22 also declines quickly and the canopy has to be refurbished at a cost of $120,000 after an average of 331 hours of flying time rather than the stipulated 800 hours.

[PIF]

However, if all 750 F22s were built then the cost would fall to $70 millon per - and further still if export to Japan, Autrailia and Israel were permitted. See “The F-22 - Why Does This Surprise You, General?” on FR.