Posted on 04/06/2009 10:52:31 AM PDT by jazusamo
In a blow to Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon has decided to purchase to end funding of the F-22 fighter jet.
The decision by Defense Secretary Robert Gates will rouse widespread opposition in Congress and is likely to bog down the 2010 budget approval process, with F-22 supporters maneuvering to secure more money.
The Pentagon will fund four of the radar-evading stealth fighters in the upcoming 2009 emergency war-spending request, but those additional aircraft will do little to keep the production line in Marietta, Ga., open beyond 2011. Lockheed Martin is the main contractor for the F-22, each of which costs about $140 million.
Gates announced the decision at a press conference on the Defense budget on Monday afternoon.
No money will be requested in the fiscal 2010 budget, congressional and industry sources familiar with the budget briefings told The Hill. Gates has been making calls to the chairmen of the congressional defense committees.
The final F-22 of the 183 currently on order will be delivered at the end of 2011. Building another four would keep the line open for only a few months beyond that end date.
Lockheed Martin and its subcontractors, including Boeing, in recent weeks have stepped up their campaign to keep the production line open. They argue that 25,000 people work directly for the 1,000 suppliers of the F-22 in 44 states, and another 70,000 indirectly owe their jobs to this program.
Apples and oranges. The F-35 is not as capable at what the F-22 does as the F-22, that of achieving and keeping air supremacy over the battle space. The Marines were never interested in it, because that's not the Marine Corps job in the first place. The F-35 is built for a range of other missions as an attack and close air support fighter. One does not replace the other.
The F-35 is cheaper in no small part because it borrowed heavily from the F-22 development. But it is still not the 'pure' air-to-air fighter that the 22 was built to be. The 35 is a multi-role aircraft that is certainly promising but it is not, and was never intended, to replace the 22.
“the F-22 is a most valuable weapon for our future defense and that should be the argument to keep funding it.”
Why do you say that?
I hear ya .. He knows there will be blowback, he’s probably ready to leave anyway.. who next as Secy Of D?
Ben Nelson?
Gen. Petraeus?
Bawney Fwank?
Chump change compared to the job creations by the programs Obama will generate after printing the money to pay for them.
What's the big deal? /s
“Well, they probably don’t cost that in actual variable costs. The F-22 is still carrying the cost load of a massive R&D effort in development.”
I believe this does not include R&D, rather this is the most optimistic number - the “incremental cost of the next plane”.
It depends how you count the beans. If you want a low number, you use incremental cost for next plane, if you want a higher number, you add R&D, and if you want a really high number you add O&M for the lifespan of the platform.
I think you're off by a few. By the end of 2009, the production of all 19 F-35 test aircraft will be complete and test activities will lead to initial Operational Test & Evaluation by 2013/2014.
The first production F-35 should be at Edwards by the end of the year for test. At the moment, they are still testing the AA-1 (pre-production test aircraft). Supposedly, it is still in the early parts of its test program and they've not yet tested the weapons bay doors in flight, only on the ground, nor tested supersonic flight.
Check out the April 2009 Flight Journal for more info. There is a lot of info "out there" regarding what it can and can't do. It does have a mission, but it's not an air superiority fighter. Any airplane that is designed to do everything is a compromise. The F-22 is an absolute air superiority fighter to replace the now decades old F-15. The F-15, while an amazing airplane, is probably finally out matched by the newest Sukhois.
I understand that you and your fellow DUers are embarassed that the US is a superpower and the “policemen of the world”, so just how will you all feel when China or Russia, who really, REALLY, want to be the world’s superpower, are the new policemen, and policing YOU?
Ok help me to understand this please and if you are one of those nappy hand held liberals I would welcome you to make me understand these points and yes I know you are lurking.
Obama, your man has taken the oath in private for the second time.
He has said that he is a Muslim but then George from ABC had to correct him
He let it slip about him going to 57 states which in Islamic terms is the 57 Islamic countries
He bowed to the protector of the Muslim hold lands i.e. Saudi king
He does not give presents at Christmas or Easter.
He has postponed charges against terrorists like the planner of the USS Cole.
etc
etc
etc
Now he has increased spending so much that our debt is more than every president in history combined.
He is increasing welfare etc
What is a CILIAN SECURITY FORCE HE WANTS of that to match the military???? by the way.
He keeps harping on about reaching out to Muslims and as well the usual green house gasses crap
Russia, China, N Korea, etc are trying to get nuclear weapons or increasing them, yes I am aware that Russia said they will talk about reducing but right now they are building their conventional and nuclear military.
So is China
AND NOW YOUR MAN WANTS TO REDUCE FUNDING FOR OUR MILITARY AND CUT THE MILITARY ALONG With FUTURE PROGRAMMES
how the hell can you actually explain this , no you cannot as it is quite simple to understand he is putting us in debt and reducing our military.
There is only one assumption one can come to if one looks at this as a neutral
he is destroying us and you idiots don’t even see it as you are in the Obama cult right now
So what suppose to be our air superiority fighter now?
Yes.
Don’t feed the troll.
Sopwith Camel to make the world like us better as a team player. /s
Pardon me if this has already been answered but how many F-22s do we presently have on inventory.
Yeah, and the Zero's jobs are shovel ready.... as in give these folks shovels...
/s/
Some of the same rocketscientists that cried bloody murder when the US Army chose to go with the Stryker instead of the friggin M113.
Nitwits.
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