This sucks. I saw a news report on FOX that just sickened me. There were several politicians that decided that the F-22 wasn't needed because it hadn't flown any combat missions. These morons completely miss the point. The best weapon is the kind you never have to use. The F-22 is a symbol of American excellence, and a deterent against aggressive action toward the US. I think we should start a petition to save it.
Orlando Sentinel February 22, 2008
Pentagon F-22 cuts may be felt in Orlando area
Lockheed Martin says production could be halted by the end of this year on the stealth fighter jets.
In-Depth Coverage By Richard Burnett
Proposed Pentagon spending cuts on the F-22 stealth fighter jet have stirred questions about the program's long-term future, including some key work being done by contractors in Central Florida, company officials said Thursday.
The Defense Department's latest budget plan for fiscal 2009 contains a significant shortfall for the F-22, which could trigger a shutdown of production this year, according to prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.
Though the final assembly is done in Marietta, Ga., Lockheed Martin's Orlando-based missiles and simulation-training units also produce critical systems for the F-22 Raptor. Melbourne-based Harris Corp. is another big subcontractor, and the F-22 work also involves numerous smaller suppliers in the region.
Overall, hundreds of high-tech jobs in Central Florida and thousands of jobs in 44 states are tied to the multibillion-dollar F-22 program. Including all contracts, it is the largest single defense program in Florida, according to local economic development agencies.
But the Pentagon has now axed the number of F-22 stealth fighters it plans to buy and cut back certain "long-lead" supply money for the next several years. The cuts were part of the Bush administration's proposed 2009 budget introduced this month.
Lockheed Martin officials say the proposal could cripple efforts to complete the work.
"Among other things, the budget does not include the advance money we need to keep our supply chain in place," said Rob Fuller, spokesman for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, based in Fort Worth, Texas. "Without that, our production lines would be shut down by the end of 2008. And since there's nothing in the budget for shutdown costs, this program overall is really in limbo right now."
Until the funding issues are resolved, however, it will be business as usual for the F-22 program, the company said.
For example, Lockheed was awarded a $183 million Air Force contract this week to provide maintenance, logistics and other support services to the F-22 fleet.
That could also mean additional work for Lockheed's Missiles Fire Control unit based in south Orlando, officials said. The missiles unit is building the F-22's missile detection system.
Lockheed's training technology unit in east Orlando produces certain flight-simulator training and courseware for F-22 pilots, who train at Tyndale Air Force Base in the Panhandle.
Harris Corp.'s Melbourne operation builds the F-22's high-speed fiber-optic cockpit communications system. The company has received hundreds of millions of dollars in F-22 related contracts since the program began in the early 1990s.
But the F-22 has been a controversial effort from the start. It is the costliest fighter jet in military history, at about $175 million per copy, budget documents show. The Pentagon has cut billions of dollars and hundreds of aircraft in the program in the past 15 years.
The current budget supports production of 183 F-22s, down from the original request of about 700.
Air Force officials are still pushing for money that would produce 380 F-22 fighter jets to replace the aging F-15 Eagle fleet, which had to be grounded last year because of technical problems.
Critics of the F-22 argue that the military should speed up funding and production of the Joint Strike Fighter -- another Lockheed program -- that is a less costly, next-generation aircraft. Critics say it is wasteful to pour billions into two fighter jet programs at the same time.
But defense expert John Pike said it is not likely that F-22 production will shut down any time soon.
"I think Lockheed and the F-22 supporters are going to argue that the production line should remain open at least one more year so the next president will be able to make the decision on what will be done," said Pike, president of Globalsecurity.org, a defense research firm in Washington. "And I think they have enough friends on Capitol Hill that will make that argument work for them."
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