US Air Force F-22 Goals Backed By Studies, Not By Budget

Posted on: Sep. 17th, 2006 || Source: money.aol.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Studies are piling up behind the U.S. Air Force's hopes for a larger F-22 fighter fleet, but money isn't following suit.

Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne acknowledged this week that his service seems stuck with just 183 of the state-of-the-art fighters, made by Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT).

"We continue to push the requirement. But we have been told, fairly straightforwardly, everybody believes 183 units is about what we can get out of the system," Wynne said at a Defense Writers Group breakfast Tuesday.

Even though there seem to be no impending breakthroughs, the service won't drop the issue. Gen. Michael Moseley, the Air Force's chief of staff, said last month that there is plenty of evidence for more planes.

"All of the studies say we need 10 squadrons out there of 240 airplanes," he said at an event sponsored by Government Executive magazine.

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