GOP control of House could revive the F-22 fight

AJC/Political Insider ^ | 11/13/2010 | Jim Galloway

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

The takeover of the U.S. House by Republicans could prompt a revival of the fight for additional funding for the Marietta-built F-22 stealth fighter, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey said Friday.

U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, a Republican from Marietta. AJC file “This isn’t just for the sake of home-cooking, but also for the sake of the country,” Gingrey said in a telephone interview.

But Gingrey conceded that concerns over spending and the federal deficit could make the funding battle a difficult one. The planes have a price tag of $120 million each. “We would have to look at it with a very, very sharp pencil,” he said. “It would take some negotiating.”

Suggestions from the debt commission, made public this week, may hold some possibilities A three-year freeze on federal pay and a 10 percent reduction of the federal workforce “are things that really get me excited,” the Marietta congressman said.

[reefdiver]

Not the first time a Republican has put the Defense of the Nation a Priority

[omega4179]

It would free up some money if they freeze all federal workers salaries for as many years it takes to make them paid like the private sector.

[Gene Eric]

@ 120 mil/each, that’s almost two birds for each day Obama traveled overseas.

[ClearCase_guy]

I strongly support Defense.
I love the F-22.

But we need to cut spending. Now is NOT the time to find things that Obama cut and say "Let's bring that back! It's only a few billion!!"

We have nukes. If a war starts while we take a hiatus from strong defense spending, I say we use 'em.

[Vince Ferrer]

At least one assembly line for the F-22 has already converted to the F-35. I’m sorry, it is a nice aircraft, but we need to let it go.

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

F-22=JOBS... its that simple.

Cut spending elsewhere, like the department of education, the post office the department of redundancy, department...

[Cobra64]

"But Gingrey conceded that concerns over spending and the federal deficit could make the funding battle a difficult one. The planes have a price tag of $120 million each."

The cost of Obama's trip last week would have funded 16 aircraft.

[SandRat]

Just ground Mooo-Shelle saying no more trips period! You can buy 24 aircrat over the next two years with the trips she didn’t get to take shopping and touring at our expense. / sarc

[Non-Sequitur]

It would free up some money if they freeze all federal workers salaries for as many years it takes to make them paid like the private sector.

All federal employees? Including the military?

Besides I think that the idea is to cut spending and reduce government, not switch current spending from one area to another.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Non-Sequitur]

F-22=JOBS... its that simple.

What about those who say the Department of Education and the Post Office = JOBS. It's that simple for them, too.

[xjcsa]

F-22=JOBS... its that simple.

"Jobs" are a terrible reason to build the F-22. We might as well pay people to dig ditches and fill them back up again if that's the reason.

National defense, on the other hand, is a perfectly valid reason - and the *only* valid reason - to build them.

[Viking2002]

I'll jump on that bandwagon - federal unions and their liberal puppet masters love the idea of wealth redistribution, so let's give 'em what they want: public sector/private sector income parity. Let's see how appealing that gummint GS position is in 2020 when they get hired on at Walmart's 2010 employee wages.

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, for his name is Obama."

[Jet Jaguar]

Good news.

Thanks for the ping.

[J Edgar]

The F-22 could be kept alive WITHOUT undue cost, if Congress would allow LM to sell it to our NATO allies, and Japan and Korea.

CommieCrate Congress deliberately prohibited F-22 exports, even to our most trusted allies. Why?

[ClearCase_guy]

The technology in the F-22 is too sensitive. We cannot sell it.

[J Edgar]

Russia is proposing to develop their 5G fighter jointly with India, so a lot of the technology is going to be out their.

If you are talking avionics and flight control, these components can be made vanilla version for export.
It seems possible that a cost reduction program could also help take the bite out of cost.
I’m just suggesting, since I haven’t worked on F22 and don’t know any relevent details.

[rmlew]

The F-22 is stealthier, is a better fighter and has longer range than the F-35. The F-22 is operation, the F-35 is not. The F-22 is pretty much the same price as the F-35A. The Russians are developing a fifth generation fighter and the Russians and Chinese have very good 4.5 generation fighters.

72 additional F-22s, upgraded to latest standards would be very useful.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

The planes have a price tag of $120 million each.

Price per generally depends on how many you make. The B-2 was (1980) $2 billion per only because they cut back from 132 to 22. The unit cost excluding development ($39B) was only (1980) $400 mil. The $40 billion "saved" then and added to the deficit would have been almost entirely recouped in inflation now and the planes would be available for decades more against China.