U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Make Pitch for F/A-22

Posted on: Sep. 14th, 2005 || Source: defensenews.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Make Pitch for F/A-22

Officials at Lockheed Martin Corp. and the U.S. Air Force ratcheted up the fight to keep the F/A-22 next-generation fighter jet in production after 2008, saying its capabilities were essential to maintain U.S. air dominance on Sept. 13.

Further cost-cutting measures and a multiyear contract could help lower the cost of the expensive program, they said.

Maj. Gen. Richard Lewis, Air Force program executive officer for the F/A-22, lauded the fighter’s advanced capabilities, including its ability to fly for prolonged periods at supersonic speeds.

Lewis also raised the possibility of foreign sales of the advanced fighter jet to the United States’ closest allies, a move that could help further defray the cost of the program.

The Air Force still hoped to convince Pentagon officials conducting a major once-every-four-years review of defense needs to change their minds about canceling the so-called “Raptor,” Lewis said.

“I think we’ve undersold the airplane in the past,” he told reporters at an Air Force Association conference.

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