You would think that with all the legitimate and expensive claims on the government pocketbook - including two wars, an economic crisis and desperately needed health care reform - Congress would be extra judicious about how it spends the taxpayers' money. But no, at least not when it comes to the House Armed Services Committee and lucrative defense contracts.
The panel has proved again how the insatiable drive to keep fancy weapons systems alive can trump all good sense. With Representative Rob Bishop of Utah and other Republicans leading the charge, and with the support of six Democrats, the committee this week narrowly voted to keep producing the Air Force's F-22 stealth fighter jet.
We adamantly opposed Defense Secretary Robert Gates's proposal to buy four more F-22s in next year's budget. But at least he wanted to cap the fleet at 187 planes. The House committee has voted to approve a $369 million down payment on 12 more. If all of those are bought, the total price tag would be about $2.8 billion...
More at The New York Times.
Comments
The F-35 is a single engine, single seat light bomber that doesn't carry much of a load. It has a fraction of the performance of the F-22. So, I am reluctant to rely on F-35s rather than F-22s to achieve air superiority against future foes. Performance has proven rather a bit of an edge in the history of air combat.
But the most important reason I would be loathe to give up more F-22s is as follows. The F-22 exists. It is here, in service and in production. If we want or need more, you order them and they will appear.
The F-35 is not in production. It is not in service. It hasn't been fully tested and developed yet. And, given our in-ability to get any new design into service lately, I wonder if it ever will. So we could be prematurely abandoning something that exists for the promise of something to come, the promise being made by an industry that doesn't seem to do much right anymore. I'm afraid we could end up with far too few F-22s, a handful of F-35s, very happy F-18E/F production line workers and pilots who will have to do some sharp figuring to stay alive.