US Navy eyes fighter,Osprey delays, cuts--document

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Internal Navy budget documents obtained by Reuters indicate significant cuts or delays in both the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey.

Lockheed and Pentagon spokesmen for the F-35 program told Reuters is was too early in the budget process to comment, but it is clear the war in Afghanistan and Iraq forces the service to make big changes.

As reported earlier this week, the Navy has plans to delay the fielding of the F-35 by up to 14 months. This would free up more than $1 billion that the Navy hopes to redirect to other naval priorities.

The proposed cuts and delays "show just how tight" the crunch has become in view of Iraq and Afghanistan war spending, said Christopher Bolkcom, the top warplane expert at the nonpartisan U.S. Congressional Research Service.

He said the Department of the Navy could end up helping pay the bill for the cost of replacing or fixing U.S. Army equipment worn out in battling insurgents.

U.S. Army chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker told reporters Wednesday the Army had put off its scheduled budget submission to Rumsfeld, highlighting its funding shortfall.

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