Obama is threatening to veto the defense spending bill due to its inclusion of building 7 more F-22s for $1.7 billion. Do your cost per plane math on that. The appointed by Bush (and former President of my college) Secretary of Defense says the plane is not necessary. I agree.

The F-22 is:

1. Obsolete. The F-35 is replacing it.

2. Unreliable. It's readiness rating is unacceptably low.

3. Expensive. In both costs to build it and maintain it.

4. Not the weapons system needed to address our current missions and threats.

Canceling further orders for this plane is a no brainer. Not canceling it is all about politicians wanting it built in their voting districts. Which is BS pork to the 22d power.


"A man never drinks anything that a plant lives in" --DBone (A Real Man).
http://vimeo.com/4938173

I just have one thing to say, the F-22 is NOT obsolete. The F-35 is NOT designed to take over the capabilities of the F-22.

The F-22 is an air superiority fighter, it's designed to take on, and spectacularly take out any enemy fighters, both from long range, and in the enemies face.

The F-35 is a multi-role fighter. Which means it's designed to handle multiple roles. It can dogfight, it can attack ground targets, it has a laser designator, it has less range, and the STOVL capabilities make it a maintenance headache for the B variations.

Both weapons platforms have issues, the F-22's expense is a real concern, but my major concern is, if we kill the program, those planes will end up grounded, and then when we have real need for a true air superiority fighter (Russia is making more and more noise, I have no doubt Putin and his little Medvedvev (sp?) would love to bring Russia back to the strength of the ole Soviet Union, and there are other real threats with real tactical aircraft) and we won't have one. We haven't had an enemy air kill on our troops in 45 years, do you want to jeopardize that record?


Aaron

As with so many things how one thinks about the F-22 and assesses the cost effectivness is based upon how the debate is framed and in most of the MSM the debate has been framed, as usual, to back the current administration's own opinions/agenda.

Here is an interesting article from the strategy page which provides some numbers you would not hear in the MSM coverage. Further, this article makes it clear the F-22, unlike the F-35, was designed and procured specifically to replace the aging F-15 in it's fighter role. A look back through the archeives of this site will provide quite a few articles about the F-22 and plenty of other weapons, both those in long time service and those that are being procured or are under development.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmurph/articles/20090721.aspx

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