Looking for Cuts, Pentagon Turns to Jet Fighter Program

[Rose Siding]

The Pentagon has told the White House and Congress that it plans sharp cuts in the Air Force's program for the F/A-22, the most expensive fighter jet in history, in an effort that budget analysts said was intended to offset mounting deficits and the growing costs of the war in Iraq.

The Pentagon's decision, which four administration and Congressional officials described on Tuesday and which Congress must still approve, comes as the Bush administration is pressing all agencies to scale back spending requests for the fiscal year 2006 budget, which will be submitted to lawmakers early next year.

The White House is under pressure after the November elections to show progress in trimming federal deficits while ensuring that troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have adequate armored protective equipment. The cost of operations in Iraq alone are hovering around $4.4 billion a month.

At the moment, the fighter, known as the Raptor, costs about $258 million a plane. That is based on an overall cost of $71.8 billion, and the Air Force's plans to buy 277 Raptors.

http://nytimes.com/2004/12/29/national/29plane.html?hp&ex=1104296400&en=d9d6aa608adaaf7e&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[Willy Wonka]

1. Psst, if you want to look for cuts, look no further than the Iraq quagmire

Just ship the troops home and drop $10B in a locked safe in the middle of the Iraqi Congress with a note taped "For use for rebuilding purposes"

Then trillions of dollars saved!

[indianablue]

2. Can you say spitballs!

[Rose Siding]

4. This'll about vaporize ol' Zell

hee hee hee

[wicket]

19. LOL!!!

:D

[StClone]

3. Star Wars

Black projects, Iraq, Iraq Bases...military is a huge sucking sound.

[TheFarseer]

5. I'm not sure that's where you want to cut

Flush star wars now. Flush any nuclear weapons programs. Do we not already have enough nukes to blow up the planet many times over with pinpoint accuracy? In today's war, air supperiority is everything. That's why we can kick everyone's ass without breaking a sweat. Of course we are vastly supperior in the air already so maybe we can do without upgrading for a few years. Then again, I'm no military expert.

[TheWraith]

12. It isn't.

The Raptors may be expensive, but if I were looking to cut the military budget there's a lot of other choices that have less value and more cost. Like you said--Star Wars, new nukes, new vehicle designs, bureaucracy, redundant projects... Granted, our current Air Force isn't made up of Messerschmidts, but you don't want to screw with air power. You could massively cut the military budget without seriously affecting capabilities if you just trimmed the fat.

By the way, the article is misleading. The Raptors actually cost about $133 million per plane, not $258. Not cheap but not that bad a deal if you know what it does.

[ScrewyRabbit]

13. Disagree. Manned fighters should be phased out entirely.

R&D should be put into drones, which are smaller, less expensive, can stay on station for many hours, etc.

[leesa]

6. Poor Pentagon...trying so hard to make ends meet!

[truthseeker1]

17. no kidding!

Boo fucking hoo

[ashmanonar]

7. so how long has the f-22 been in development?

and what purpose does it have, precisely? oh, dogfighting with soviet planes? hmm...there aren't any soviet planes anymore...

well, they could use it for ground attack--oh wait, we've got more than enough for that...

hmmm...

a 258 million dollar plane that could be cut out, and provide 258 mil (each plane) for welfare or soc sec?

where's the trash compactor?

[MissBrooks]

8. The raptor is really pretty!

I was at tht Rose Bowl last year and one flew over - it was awesome.

[FDRLincoln]

9. problem

The problem here is that the Air Force is relying on still on the F-15 and F-16, excellent aircraft yes, but still based on late 60s early 70s technology, and inferior in some ways to the new fighters being developed in Russia and Europe. While the US has air supremacy and will have it for some time to come, the fact is that we do need a replacement fighter for down the road.

Personally I think the F-22 was overdone and overpriced, but to start from scratch all over again seems like an even bigger waste.

Of course, if it wasn't for Bush's stupid tax cut, this wouldn't even be an issue. Bush's tax cuts make it impossible for us to build new fighters for our pilots, new ships for the navy, armor for our infantrymen and women, Pell grants for our students, health care for the sick, etc. Every function of government is being thrown down the shitter because of these stupid tax cuts.

Of course you guys all knew that. Too bad the voters didn't. :(

[wuushew]

10. The replacement for the F-16 and other planes is the JSF

not the F-22. The role of F-22 was only to directly replace the F-15C. A function more or less that does not exist in the post cold war world nor should with any semblance of functioning diplomacy.

[TheWraith]

14. It's the JSF that deserves to be cut.

The Joint Strike Fighter is a jack-of-all-trades wannabe that is considerably inferior to all the aircraft it replaces. It replaces the F-16 fighter/interceptor, but doesn't have the F-16's speed. It replaces the Harrier, but doesn't have the vertical takeoff capability that makes the Harrier unique. It replaces the A-10 tank killer, but has nowhere near the payload, survivability, or flight characteristics of the A-10. Oh, and the program will cost $60 billion just for the Air Force, and another $11.5 billion for the Navy. THAT is the sort of thing you cut.

[MissBrooks]

15. Are you in the military?

Are you a pilot?

I don't know much about the JSF.

[Florida_Geek]

16. he is wrong the JSF should be built but the Raptor killed

in this inactive pilot's opinion.

[MissBrooks]

20. Thank you!

What do you fly?
I've always been fascinated by airplanes. That's why I chose Amelia Earhart as my Avatar.

[stackhouse]

11. 1.2.3.....aaaawwwwwwwwwwwww

i hope the plane do get cut do get cuts maybe if we get enough defence dept buget cuts it'll kill the war and send our troops back home!!!!!!!

[dbt]

18. Cut the Chemtrail program(s).

That oughta save a few billion the first week. Factor in the dollars that NOAA would save by not having to print those nifty, full-color pamphlets (with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back) about "persistent contrails," and you're talking some real money.

:think:
dbt

[MissBrooks]

21. Chemtrails?

They have their own Program?

I thought they were caused by vapor or something. What do you know that we don't know?

[grilled onions]

22. Raptor/Rapture

How interesting that the names are similar. :eyes: