Rummy Gets One Right
By What are the chances?
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 – 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.
Senior Pentagon and Air Force officials were still discussing details of the cutbacks. One leading industry analyst, Loren Thompson, said the program could be ended after producing about 160 aircraft, possibly saving more than $15 billion over time but significantly raising the cost per plane. The Pentagon has already spent nearly $40 billion to develop the aircraft, which is just now coming into full production, Air Force officials said.
A Defense Department spokesman, Eric Ruff, declined to discuss any specific decisions on the Raptor program but said that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul D. Wolfowitz, had spoken with lawmakers in recent days “to discuss long-term modifications to the tactical fighter programs.”
The F-22 is precisely the kind of weapon that we don’t need right now, or in the foreseeable future. Completely unnecessary for the war in Iraq, or for wars against Iran or North Korea. China is at least a generation behind, and buying 160 rather than 300 aircraft won’t make a bit of difference for continuing R&D.