WASHINGTON - Georgia lawmakers are pressuring the Pentagon to change its plans for ending production of the F-22A fighter jet, with some 2,000 Atlanta-area jobs at stake.
The Defense Department so far is standing by its decision to phase out the high-tech plane after 2009. But some analysts say the department may be reconsidering, particularly as a deadline approaches for keeping the manufacturing supply chain going.
"They're getting down to fish or cut bait time," said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a defense research group. "They'll have to find the money from somewhere ... but I think they have a pretty good chance."
Georgia lawmakers are leading the charge for new purchases. Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson and Rep. Phil Gingrey recently circulated letters of support among other lawmakers whose states host work on the jet. The aircraft is made by Lockheed Martin, with work done in 44 states.
Along with the plane's economic impact, the lawmakers cite strong support for the F-22A among Air Force brass and the need to replace an aging fleet of F-15 fighter jets. Last month, the Air Force grounded the F-15 after investigating a crash and finding "possible fleet-wide airworthiness problems."
"We believe (ending F-22A production) would be ill-advised and premature," Gingrey, who is from Marietta, where the planes are assembled, wrote in his letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Sixty-eight House members signed the Gingrey letter, while 28 senators joined the Senate effort, the lawmakers said.
A successor to the F-15, the F-22A Raptor is among the Air Force's most expensive planes. It carries a total price of about $140 million apiece - and almost $350 million when research and testing expenses are included.
Air Force leaders have lobbied to get about 380 of the aircraft, touting its unprecedented combination of supersonic speed, radar stealth and superior air-to-air combat maneuverability.
But the Defense Department has requested 183, questioning the need for more in the post-Cold War era.
Last year, Congress approved a three-year purchase through 2009 for the last 60 F-22As in that allotment.
Pentagon spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin said the department has not changed its position on holding production at 183 planes.
Lockheed Martin is slated to deliver the last batch in 2011. Without funding for future purchases in next year's spending bills, the supply chain would gradually shut down beginning in late 2008, the company says.
Along with the lawmakers, the Air Force recently requested that the Pentagon shift budgeted funding for closing out production toward buying a new batch of planes.
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May 4th, 2024
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