Pentagon to end F-22 production

The Hill ^ | April 6, 2009 | Roxana Tiron

[AirForceMom]

No union and not much love for BO where my husband works.

[jazusamo]

The F-22 just wasn’t the plane it was cracked up to be

Is that sarcasm? It's the premier fighter in the world today and will be for many years.

[texmexis best]

Dan Patrick, a Texas State Legislator, was in DC this last weekend.

He said: “There are no foreclosure signs in DC.”

[aegiscg47]

The F-22 just wasn’t the plane it was cracked up to be. Evidence, please.

From what I've seen here at Hill AFB it is so far beyond every other current fighter that they need to put up six F-16s against one F-22 just to make it fair! It is definitely one of the most impressive aircraft in terms of flight demos that I've ever seen. It seems to defy the laws of physics at times.

[edcoil]

The site of the 21st century fighter...

http://www.f22fighter.com/

[microgood]

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. Not all of which is wasted, btw. The things learned in the F-22 program will support other future designs as well.

So the costs of the first ones were astronomical and this is the price based on mass production.

But this is not the time to shorten this program. The time to do that is when we have something even better on the drawing board.

I agree, now is when you are getting the payback.

I just am wowed by the numbers. I remember F14s were around $20 to $30 million back in the day. Of course, I looked recently at how much it cost to build the latest carrier, and it was over $6B. Yikes.

[PCRit]

I wonder if the Libs in Congress would even allow the option of foreign sales of the F-22 to our closest allies as a way to keep the production line operating past 2011? It would be nice to have the capability of scaling up production should we have a future threat, or an administration who actually wants to defend our country.

[GBA]

"The F-22 just wasn’t the plane it was cracked up to be. It did have all the pricetag you could ever imagine!"

You're right. It is much more. And considering how long we use our airplanes (decades) and the number of lives that depend upon them, I think the F-22 is a bargain.

It's a pity that some are so short sighted, so misinformed, as well as being innocent of intellect and common sense, and yet they are the ones who decide our fate as well as the fatalities of those whose lives depend upon their decisions.

[texmexis best]

A billion ain’t what it used to be.....

[buccaneer81]

The F-22 just wasn’t the plane it was cracked up to be.

Speaking of crack, put the pipe down and step away slowly.

[NinoFan]

You’re going to find a lot of F-22 haters on FR who will cheer this decision despite the fact that it’s part of a much larger change in focus that they might not even agree with. The fighter wars here get crazy.

[flowerplough]

The F-22, like the B-2 batwing bomber, may be the plane it was cracked up to be, but it won’t be able to do the jobs planned for it for long. Radar and other detection systems aren’t static; I’ve read some about Aussie JORN radars that get a reading on the turbulent air behind the plane, for instance. And Remote Piloting looks to be able to soon relegate many stand-off “weapons platforms” like the F-22 and B-2 to standby duty, and ready reserve.

[2Wheels]

“I cannot believe they can’t get the costs below this. Wow.”

$140 million is a bunch but the F-22 is no ordinary Fighter. It cannot be compared to ANY fighter before it. If you “cannot believe” the cost - you should get more informed about it’s capabilities and weapons delivery advancements.

Another key point is the fewer produced - obviously the more each one costs. IMO - we should have more F-22’s than any bird in the fleet. But that’s just my silly opinion.

Oboy the Kenyan doesn’t care about my opinion, now does he?

[AppyPappy]

Many in the military are wanting a push for the F-35

[jazusamo]

They r out of their minds

I agree and though I've supported Gates I believe he should have gone to the wall on this.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Yeah, I’d like to see the back-up to that claim also, along with an alternative replacement you may have in mind.

[buccaneer81]

Of course, I looked recently at how much it cost to build the latest carrier, and it was over $6B.

Not nearly as pricey as the space shuttles (not that I'm complaining; I wish we had 10 of them.) But to build a shuttle today would take at least $8 billion (Endeavour cost $5 billion in 1991.)

[southernerwithanattitude]

Marked.

[Cheetahcat]

“Lockheed Martin is the main contractor for the F-22, each of which costs about $140 million.

I cannot believe they can't get the costs below this. Wow.”

Yes on a production run no less What the hell do they make it out of ? OR the ugly “U” word is heavily involved.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I disagree. He is destroying it in one fell swoop.