House Panel Boosts F-22A Spending

Published: Apr 29, 2006
Source: www.military.com



A House subcommittee this week authorized the Air Force to move forward with a multiyear procurement strategy for the F-22A, but modified the service's plan by pouring an additional $1.4 billion into the program to buy 20 fighters next fiscal session.
The service's plan, however, is built around a break in Raptor purchases throughout fiscal year 2007.

The Air Force's FY-07 budget blueprint requests $2.9 billion for the Raptor program. The service's envisioned acquisition plan moves the aircraft's production work to the right and adds a total of four fighters beyond FY-06 plans, which would bring the Air Force's planned F-22 inventory to 183 airplanes. The revised service plan also would, according to blue-suited officials allow the service to keep the fighter's production line open until 2010, when Raptor prime contractor Lockheed Martin, is slated to begin building the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Of those requested funds, the service would use $200 million to finance a multiyear acquisition plan designed to keep the fighter production line open between fiscal years 2008 and 2010. The Air Force wants to buy 60 aircraft over that three-year span, purchasing 20 fighters each year (Inside the Air Force, Feb. 10, p5). Service officials have said the Air Force could save between $200 million and $600 million with such a strategy.continue..