Pentagon budget cuts almost certain to affect F-35

Star Telegram ^ | Dec. 01, 2011 | Bob Cox

[sukhoi-30mki]

Pentagon budget cuts almost certain to affect F-35

By Bob Cox

rcox@star-telegram.com

The stealth design of the F-35 joint strike fighter is supposed to make it nearly invisible to enemy radar, but the super high-tech combat aircraft may not be able to avoid the bull's-eye of Pentagon budget-cutters.

Congress' failure last month to agree on $1.2 billion in additional deficit reduction measures means the Defense Department is facing enormous funding cuts mandated by law. Without new congressional action to restore funding, experts say, the Pentagon will be forced to make big cuts in spending on new weapons.

And the F-35 is easily the biggest target for cuts because it has a large and growing price tag, rising from a planned $7 billion in new orders in 2012 to $14 billion-plus in 2016.

"When you look at cutting back on programs to save money, you're going to start with the biggest programs," said Todd Harrison, defense budget analyst with the influential Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments think tank.

Lockheed Martin officials conceded as much Thursday. Speaking at an investment conference in New York, Bruce Tanner, Lockheed's chief financial officer, said it is unlikely the F-35 can evade the coming budget cuts.

When the biggest funding cuts take effect in 2013, "I have to believe F-35 would build at a lower rate," Tanner said in response to questions at the Credit Suisse conference.

That could be bad for employment at Lockheed's plant in west Fort Worth, where the F-35 is being built.

Lockheed now has 6,100 people working directly on the F-35 program there, spokesman Joe Stout said, about 3,000 of them production workers and the rest in development or other support activities.

Without stepped-up production,

[sukhoi-30mki]

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics/Tom Reynolds

The Pentagon hopes to increase orders of the F-35 from 30 in 2011 to 108 in 2016.

[unkus]

Very bad news.

How many F-22’s are on order?

Thanks, sukoi——

[X-spurt]

Didn’t nobama stop all F-22 production?

[unkus]

Didn’t nobama stop all F-22 production?

---

I wouldn’t doubt it.

We’re in deep trouble all around.

[Vroomfondel]

ping

[sukhoi-30mki]

A total of 187 though production can be relaunched.

[melanieG]

If Pentagon is on it’s way to do some budget cuts, the USPS recently declared another round of rate hikes to increase income. Find out more at: http://personalmoneynetwork.com/moneyblog/2011/11/30/postal-rates-up/

[magslinger]

SONOBUOY PING!

Click on pic for past Navair pings. Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist. The only requirement for inclusion in the Navair Pinglist is an interest in Naval Aviation. This is a medium to low volume pinglist.

[magslinger]

That tail design looks like VF 161.

[unkus]

Thanks.

[X-spurt]

If we can’t get rid of the indo-kenyan occupier of the Whiteyhut next Nov.,zero F-22’s and F-35’s will be the least of our troubles. Look for gun and ammo sales to again go through the roof next Fall.

[unkus]

You’re exactly right.

[JSteff]

production can be relaunched.

As long as Obama does not order the dies destroyed, the next Republican will surely pull a B1 bit on history.