Obama's Fighter Jet Decision Represents Clash Of Two Goals

New York Times:

Two of President-elect Barack Obama's stated goals -- cutting wasteful spending and saving or creating millions of jobs -- are on a collision course in a looming decision over whether to keep building the F-22 fighter jet.

Air Force officials have told Congress that they are hoping to win a $9 billion commitment to produce at least 60 F-22s over a three-year period, which would expand the fleet to 243.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

The best thing to do is decommission most of the F-15s and replace most of them them with a much smaller force of F-22 (in fact I think the plan is to keep equal numbers of both which will equal about 500 jets). This sounds like a large force but it is pretty small. Otherwise the Air Force has no credible air superiority fighter to fill the gaps until the F-35A comes on line when the rest of the F-15s can be decommissioned. F-16 are used in the Air National guard. Harriers are used in the USMC which will be replaced by the F-35C and F/A-18s are used for the navy until the F-35C come on line.

The F-35 series was probably the best idea in piloted jet technology since the F-16. It will be made in three versions one version for the Air Force with stealth technology, one version for the Navy for carrier landings and one version for the USMC that has VTOL capability. The F-35 is a single engine multi-role fighter and much cheaper to build than F-22s. The way LM achieved VTOL is just absolutely genius because it is the first jet VTOL capability to be supersonic. Instead of venting jet exhaust only for it's VTOL capability it actually incorporates a mid-airframe turbine that will prevent the speed, range and safety problems that have plagued the Harrier jump jet.

[Palemoon]

This is a much tougher decision than what Carter faced. Carter at least had the option of choosing either ICBM's or the B-1 bomber. Carter smartly went with the ICBM's as the B-1 bomber, later revived by Reagan, turned out to be one of the biggest failures and jokes in military procurement history.

[geobushono]

Stop The Madness. Give Peace A Chance.....here, you deserve a break today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-NRriHlLUk

[JohnCochtosten]

Who needs the F22 when the economy is already bombing?

[blueskybigstar]

The economy is too weak not to build it now.

[Bruupo]

The Russian economy isn't too weak to build Sukhoi's, and as long as their back catalog comes closer to mass export we actually do need more F-22's. The Joint Strike Fighter we could have done without for now.

[Hank10303]

President Elect Obama is doing the right thing again. To express his postion on the continued development of these planes and other weapons systems would then cause Bush to do some stupid thing to sabbatoge President Elect Obama's goals. He should hold his piece on this topic until he takes office; then whatever he says will be the rule. My bet more of those planes will not be built but if the aireo company that is building them wants to build by contract windmill motors or mechanry for national power grids they can then continue to employe its workers.

[LREKing]

As with most things, finding a balance is going to be the challenge.

[Chavez08]

When the Hadron Collider is finished and the MIC gets ahold of it, fighter jets, satellites, missiles might all be obsolete.

"Move aside!! We're bulding EMPIRES!!!"

[hortonhearsawho2]

Anyone ever fly one of those babies, have any actuall insight into the jet. Talking with the folks that fly them would serve well. They do have a serious job at hand in all fairness.

[wbramh]

Great plane!
And I'd say the Pentagon needs more of them...
All they have to do is hold a few hangar sales to sell off their older jets.
Bake sales, too.
They're not getting my money.

[hortonhearsawho2]

Defense contractors employ girl scouts, news at eleven.

[Zhonni]

I don't think we ought to buy any more at this time. We should save the money for other programs.

[PatCroft]

We have to have our heads screwed on backwards to allow this kind of expenditure and development. What does each play cost? 145 million per plane. Get real! In addition about 20 thousand an hour cost for flying them. For the price of this we could be putting a whole lot of people through school to advance themselves. It is just criminal.