Gates Announces End To Production Of F-22
Gates Announces End To Production Of F-22
In presenting his proposed budget for the Defense Department today, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that he planned to end production of the F-22 at the current 187 planes — down from the 381 planes the government was expected to order. The aircraft has been the subject of fierce lobbying in recent weeks, and members of Congress have suggested that they would resist efforts to downsize the F-22 program. As a result of ending production of the F-22, Gates explained that he would increase production of more advanced aircraft:
GATES: To sustain U.S. air superiority, I am committed to building a fifth generation tactical fighter capability that can be produced in quantity at sustainable cost. Therefore I will recommend increasing the buy of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. [...]
We will end production of the F-22 fighter at 187. Representing 183 planes in the current program plus four recommend for inclusion in the FY2009 supplemental.
Later, Gates said, “[W]e have fulfilled the program. It’s not like we’re killing the F-22. We will have 187 of them. … The military advice that I got was that there is no military requirement for numbers of F-22 beyond 187.” Watch it:
The decision is welcome on two fronts. First, the F-22 contributes little to U.S. national security. It has not flown a single mission in the Iraq or Afghanistan campaigns. Further, as the Center for American Progress’s Larry Korb explained in 2005, the F-22 was designed to address threats that the U.S. last faced during the cold war:
The F/A-22 Raptor is the most unnecessary weapon system being built by the Pentagon. In fact, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld tried to do away with it in the summer of 2002 but backed off when his Air Force secretary threatened to resign over the issue. It was originally designed to achieve air superiority over Soviet fighter jets, which will never be built.
Second, the F-22 has become increasingly costly to operate even as the number of planes on order has decreased. The Pentagon recently announced that they would need $8 billion to upgrade 100 F-22’s which are already in use. The aircraft is “proving very expensive to operate … and it is complex to maintain,” the Pentagon explained. The aircraft’s readiness rate fell to 62 percent last year, which the Pentagon called “unsatisfactory.” Ending the production of the F-22 will free up scarce resources to fund programs more in line with our current security needs.
And ending the production of the aircraft will likely not result in massive jobs loss, despite claims to the contrary. As David Axe recently noted, the firms that produce the F-22 have many other clients. “A year ago the industry was worried about huge labor shortages. Shutting down the Raptor line would see thousands of workers snapped up for active production lines churning out F-16s, F-35s, C-130s and modernized C-5s for Lockheed,” Axe wrote.
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Be sure to watch Fixed News’ Hannity & Hannity tonight…
Sean & KKKarl’s heads will explode just after the show opens.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:34 pmi’m so annoyed with mccain. he knew as well as anyone else when he made that comment that the air force was already trying to get rid of the VH-71 program and that bush reinstated it. what a d0uch4, his gotcha moment only got him.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:35 pmwhere are all the trolls blaming barney franks for this?
April 6th, 2009 at 3:36 pmWell there goes 90,000 high paying jobs with health care, retirement and all the things we think should be provided by an employer OR the government, both in this case……how sad.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:40 pmSince General Gates is a hold-over from Bush’s admin, I guess Sec Def Robert Gates is showing signs of having been through one of Bachmann’s Liberal Re-Education Camps, or L-REC’s.
Imagine the insanity of rational evaluation and readjustment of plans as situations change! Oh, the horror! The horror!
For an idea that will truly cut the deficit, how about we try
PEACE
April 6th, 2009 at 3:42 pmAll the plans for the Big Business friends of the Bush Administration will raise hell now. All the money that was to be used for planes will now go back to the taxpayers debt. Look for the GOP to come out yelling as they got kick back bucks for those deals. Now this will hurt the War Profiteers. I don’t think there will be much love for McCain now. He thought he was sticking it to Obama but as it turns out he got it in the end.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:46 pmSlappyBastinado Says: Well there goes 90,000 high paying jobs with health care, retirement and all the things we think should be provided by an employer OR the government, both in this case……how sad.
You ARE being sarcastic, right Slappy?
April 6th, 2009 at 3:49 pmbut we need those F-22’s in case the terrorists steal a MIG and strafe the KFC in Toledo!!
April 6th, 2009 at 3:50 pmspencers butterfly mom :
L-REC!
Outstanding sitrep, mom! :D
April 6th, 2009 at 3:52 pmMaybe we should sell them all to China to reduce our debt.
They were built to fight MIGs, & China & Russia aren’t exactly BFF’s.
Or, how about the RNC? They could fly Limbaugh’s fat ass to Cuba.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:57 pmCan’t wait to read about Fake News paranoid version of this. It will probably be a doozy.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:58 pmSlappyBastinado Says:
Well there goes 90,000 high paying jobs with health care, retirement and all the things we think should be provided by an employer OR the government, both in this case……how sad.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
So you think it is the function of the Defense Dept to be a jobs program and corporate wellfare for defense contractors? My GOD you are an ignorant troll. The money can be spent for PRODUCTIVE jobs
April 6th, 2009 at 3:58 pmHope Says: Can’t wait to read about Fake News paranoid version of this. It will probably be a doozy.
Beck will burst into tears and then predict Armageddon.
Hannity will be outraged on behalf of HIS America.
I’ can’t wait for Jon Stewart’s and Rachel Maddow’s respective comments.
April 6th, 2009 at 4:04 pmDamn, and I was gonna buy one of them high performance F-22s and help the economy out
Now I am gonna have to buy a Chrysler
April 6th, 2009 at 4:06 pmCould we please just stop the production of right wing warmongering freaks ?
April 6th, 2009 at 4:07 pmAnd ending the production of the aircraft will likely not result in massive jobs loss, despite claims to the contrary. As David Axe recently noted, the firms that produce the F-22 have many other clients. “A year ago the industry was worried about huge labor shortages. Shutting down the Raptor line would see thousands of workers snapped up for active production lines churning out F-16s, F-35s, C-130s and modernized C-5s for Lockheed,”
You need eyes like mine, I don’t miss much.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Dragonfly_eye_3811.jpg
Are any of your friends dragonflies?
April 6th, 2009 at 4:10 pmThe stupid troll is lying. The 187 represents the whole order (after Bushco pared it down). The additional planes were envisioned as replacements for equipment worn out trying to stomp out Islam. Those losses will be made up with F-35s (a more cost effective alternative) and others, including the next generation of tanker/transports. Lockheed-Martin never included the additional order in their plans and no jobs will be lost. After all, they still have the F-35 which represents the single largest defense contract ever.
April 6th, 2009 at 4:10 pmYeah, since we actually use ZERO F-22’s,
187
should be about the right # to have.
April 6th, 2009 at 4:24 pmSay what you will about President Obama selling out in choosing Gates to stay on, just don’t figure to be taken seriously.
April 6th, 2009 at 4:31 pmDown with the military industrial complex I say…hey, you trolls! get off my grass!!
April 6th, 2009 at 4:43 pmIt’s a start.
April 6th, 2009 at 4:58 pmkeep going…
April 6th, 2009 at 5:01 pmNow if we can only cut another $300 billion from the Defense budget.
April 6th, 2009 at 5:01 pmWell, Alejandro, if you worked for the Defense Department, we could save about $32.50.
April 6th, 2009 at 5:09 pmSorry, Hoodathunktick, I don’t follow.
April 6th, 2009 at 5:12 pmI will admit to a weakness: I was a total aerospace freak as a kid. I knew every aircraft the US armedservices had ever procured, all the Launcgh vehicles, could tell an f-104 A from an F104F, and thought the B-70 was the most outrageously beautiful plane (n)ever built.
April 6th, 2009 at 5:27 pmBoth my progressive anti-military outer self and my hardware happy inner model-building kid rejoice at this.
Now should not be the time to bloat our forces with unnecessary hardware: while green technology and alternative energy is a much better place for the nation to spend its time and treasure, my inner kid says that now should be the time when we explore the outer edges of flight and the full implications of research.
Neither of us think we should be filling our hangars with Maginot fighters.
F22 is a great concept, but has been horribly implemented.
It has been in production for the last 15 years, and we still haven’t seen one that will fly without crashing.
Time to punt and put our money into the F35 which have been a pleasant surprise.
April 6th, 2009 at 6:14 pmGates doesn’t want it.
Rumsfield doesn’t want it.
The Military 4-stars don’t want it.
So why are we building it ?
April 6th, 2009 at 6:15 pmAlso, we need to quit financing weapons systems that don’t work, that are made for threats that don’t exist
April 6th, 2009 at 6:15 pmgee, a real shame to lose all those military industrial complex jobs. In reality, why did we need the F22? Its technology dates back to something like 1980, if I recall correctly. These things weren’t going to help us smoke bin laden out of his cave anyway.
Message to Obama: FIX OUR TRADE POLICY SO THE MILITARY CONTRACTORS CAN GET GOOD JOBS HERE IN AMERICA WHEN THESE PROGRAMS END, NOT TO MENTION ALL THE OTHER HARD-WORKING AMERICANS WHO ARE ON THE STREET DUE TO CANNIBALISTIC CAPITALISM RUN AMOK.
I fear Mr. Obama may not be as progressive as America needs right now…hopefully I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
April 6th, 2009 at 6:29 pmI’d like to see Missile Defense and Star Wars on the chopping block. That’s money much better spent on alternative energy.
April 6th, 2009 at 6:52 pmOK. Good. But let me be perfectly clear (transparent)about this:
The Pope has announced an end to further global warming and the free distributiion of condoms;
Jesus, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny will all appear jointly at every Wal-Mart in the US a week from next Tuesday;
Larry Summers will give back the money he made from speeches last year;
Geithner will tell the truth about Wall St.;
Congressional lobbyists will all resign tomorrow;
Hell will freeze over, and
Mobile homes will never blow over in tornadoes again.
There. Everything is fine. Go back to sleep. Gates has everything covered.
April 6th, 2009 at 7:43 pmThe military budget is to big, plain and simple. The military-industrial complex must be brought under control to restore America.
April 6th, 2009 at 8:42 pmIts a shame that Gates is recommending the stoppage of the CSARX (Combat Search and Rescue X) program. The Air Force needs an updated platform in order to help troops in contact and downed pilots.
April 6th, 2009 at 9:27 pmI believe in the 1st Amendment as anyone in this country and I exercise those rights frequently. But? Glenn Beck and FAUX MUST BE SILENCED!!!
http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/glenn-beck-blames-crooksandliars-and-ko
April 7th, 2009 at 2:28 amTime to switch gears and spend the military funding more efficiently and intelligently. But efficiency and intelligence are terms very seldom used or understood in government much the same way common sense is nonexistent. Hopefully Mr. Gates will get his way and stay with his proposed changes and now that’s what I would call progress.
April 7th, 2009 at 5:26 amPETE YOU ARE A SHEEPLE.KEEP DRINKING KOOLAID.AND YOUR NEW MASTER WILL SAVE YOU.IT’S THE JOKE OF A TWO PARTY SYSTEM THAT IS DESTRYING OUR COUNTRY,THE NEW WORLD ORDER MUST DIE.
April 7th, 2009 at 4:29 pmWe have a “two party system”? I thought we were down to one…
April 7th, 2009 at 7:15 pmOK Pat obviously senile dementia has set in. Time to see the nice young men that will need to take care of you soon.burun estetigi rent a car arac kiralama
April 18th, 2009 at 5:55 amsac ekimi