Pentagon to end F-22 production

The Hill ^ | April 6, 2009 | Roxana Tiron

[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.

[grey_whiskers]

Hell, sell them to Taiwan FRee Republic, at the same terms used for the CRA "mortgages"...

/sarc>

Cheers!

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Thanks for your links, Norm. I just can’t buy Gates’ reasoning on this and wonder if he really believes it.

I don't know for sure, but I suspect from reading what Gates wrote that he is probably thinking that with the existing F-22s and what we'll have with the F-35s, we would already be able to decimate the combined air forces of the rest of the planet so why buy more?

I suspect that the F-22 being as good as it is might be working against it.

[jazusamo]

The F-22 is a winner worth saving!

Well said! It's not the insurgent with an IED but hostile countries with oil dollars to build a huge war machine that they'll pay off against.

[omega4179]

its both! unlike “Stimulus”

[jazusamo]

You’re right about the 4, we need a couple hundred more.

[rfp1234]

Besides, you can’t fight terrorists with the F-22 - It was designed to shoot down the best and brightest Soviet fighters around.

...such as the MiG-31s that Putin is selling to Chavez, Assad, etc...

[grey_whiskers]

That is what it is!!! The day of the maned aircraft is fast coming to an end!!,

Yes, they're all museum pieces, apparently.

Cheers!

[Lady Jag]

You're going to want to run over that area a few more times.

[penelopesire]

LOL...remember..it’s ‘saved’ or ‘created’. That the ‘wiggle room’ talking point of the Obama marxists.

[Uncle Miltie]

Changing Tagline.

[staytrue]

We've spent much of the W years using and abusing our equipment while the Russians and the Chinese are upgrading theirs.

I disagree. We've abused our a-10s, and helicopters and ground transportation, but our navy and airforce have had little abuse during the bush years.

[DoughtyOne]

Oh I like spring break a lot. That was imaginative as well.

[Fiddlstix]

This account has been banned or suspended.

---

Okay

Aww Gee....
Poor Widdle Twoll
Him Got Banned

---

Check out the Tag Line:
posted on Monday, April 06, 2009 1:00:14 PM by Professor_Leonide (I said to the young man who showed me a photo, "Who can ever be sure what is behind a mask?")

Wrong Troll!
The Mods are very good at "unmasking" trolls.
Bye Bye.

[blasater1960]

Havent read the whole thread but also, what about Ukraine, Georgia.....We better have F-22’s. Russia is intent on restarting the cold war....now resource oriented rather than pure ideology. That could make things go hot much easier.

[gondramB]

>>Instead of arguing about jobs (another form of earmarking IMHO), how about arguing the value of the weapon system to our military? This argument makes the F-22 seem like a make-work program, not a US military lifesaving system. <<

Exactly - whats the mainline fighter gonna be?

[Jeff Gordon]

That could make things go hot much easier.

Mr Sneaky Little Bitch, Obama, is working to make sure that our resistance will be futile.

[School of Rational Thought]

Obama is drawing upon the success of gun-free zones. The least one is able to defend themselves, the better.

[Nowhere Man]

You need to do some research on the F-35. It’s not even close to the F-22. The F-22 is a major leap beyond the F-15. The F-35 may or may not be all that much better than the airplanes it is supposed to replace in terms of range, load, agility, etc.

The F-22 is a great aircraft, it builds up where we left off with the F-14/F-15. I don't know, this is just a feeling but the F-35 looks like a piece of junk to put things in a nutshell. I'd rather bring back the F-5 or go to the boneyard and bring back some old Sabre-Jets and update them with modern avionics and fire control systems than use the F-35.

[kamikaze2000]

Hey who needs top of the line military fighters anyway? The world is at peace now since Obama was elected. Magical green jobs take priority, not evil military industrial jobs that destroy the environment by making useful things that keep our country safe.

[SteamShovel]

If the Iranians for example decide to do something “stupid” Obambi will be controlled by events whether he likes it or not.

I disagree.....

Obama will do what Obama wants to do.

He's a hardheaded pacifist pig. If he does not want to strike back, he will not do it.

This is what concerns me with nukes. If Iran uses one, Obama will sit on his thumbs and pretend he is superior by not doing anything. Hence, the response deterrent is not there now. We become sitting targets.