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Funny but the F22 program as it’s now called has been going on for 30 some odd years now. The JSF has been going on for at least half that.

Lockheed Martin has been abusing the cost plus to screw all of us.

You got some evidence of that abuse?

Why should WE as taxpayers pay for their screw ups and delays?

We shouldn't. However, having been on the gov't contractor side of things, I can assure you that continually changing requirements, the desire to "cram 10 pounds of $%^& in a 5 pound bag", and continually changing funding (read: Congressional dithering) accounts for FAR more of the overruns than any sandbagging by Luckup.

I personally know of a local government installation that's having a helluva time even getting new buildings built because construction people "refuse to do business with the federal government any more". Due in large part to the idiotic, bureaucratic nonsense.

If the program is delayed because Lockheed Martin is dragging it’s hind quarters then it is them who should pay for the cost overruns.

I agree entirely. However, I'll bet that, when you REALLY look at it, you'll see Air Force indecision about desired requirments and capabilities causing most of it.

By the way, how much over budget was the atomic bomb?

What does the atomic bomb have to do with it?

At least it works, unlike the F22 (corrosion, weak airframe, larger RCS than advertised, etc)

As far as Lockheed abusing the cost plus, just look at some of these programs they’re working on.

The Navy wised up and outright killed the LCS that Lockheed Martin was working on.

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/04/last_week_when_.html

Then there is the “off the shelf” C-130J that has nearly doubled in cost because of it being an “off the shelf” system it wouldn’t need pesky oversight of Pentagon auditors and contract managers.