What's new

Senate votes to stop F-22 production

ironman

SENIOR MEMBER
Joined
Feb 7, 2009
Messages
1,438
Reaction score
0
Country
India
Location
India
21/07/09

By Stephen Trimble

The US Senate today voted to end production of Lockheed Martin F-22s after 2011, overturning a challenge to the Obama Administration's defence budget priorities with a surprising 18-vote majority.

The Senate voted 58-40 to strip $1.75 billion for buying seven more F-22s beyond the 187 funded in the current programme of record. The money had been added in June by the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.

The issue attracted a strong response from reform-minded senators, led by Democrat Carl Levin and Republican John McCain, as well as a rare veto threat by President Barack Obama.

Gates personally lobbied senators over the last two weeks and made several statements calling for halting further production of the F-22. In Gates's view, the 187 currently in the fleet satisfied the US Air Force's requirements, with 2,400 Lockheed F-35s and hundreds of unmanned aircraft also planned to be purchased.

The F-22's supporters, however, claimed that closing the F-22 production line would needlessly sacrifice thousands of jobs and put the USAF's air superiority mission at risk.
 
.

Country Latest Posts

Back
Top Bottom