F-22 Vote Delayed In DC

The fate of funding for the F-22 fighter jet has been delayed. The chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee says a key vote on the defense spending issue was expected today. Now, Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan says he will pull the amendment temporarily so the Senate can focus on other bills.

The Lockheed-Martin built F-22 has been under hot debate in the Senate. Levin and Arizona Senator John McCain filed the amendment that would eliminate from the defense spending bill an additional $1.75 billion earmarked for another seven planes. President Barack Obama has threatened to veto extra spending for the F-22.

But Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss has lobbied heavily to keep the money in-place, given Lockheed’s main production plant is in Marietta. Thousands of jobs nationwide are connected to production of the F-22.

Lockheed Pulls Back On Push To Save F-22

Lockheed says it will no longer fight to try and preserve production of the F-22 fighter jet. Recent budget-plans by the Defense Department to scale-back the program could affect thousands of jobs across the nation, including about 2,000 at Lockheed’s Marietta plant. However, Lockeed’s chief financial officer says other projects involving large cargo-plane production could preserve many of the jobs now tied to the F-22.

Lawmakers Lobby for Georgia-Made F-22

Marietta facility. (Lockheed Martin)

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.

F-22A Raptor (Lockheed Martin)

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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(The Associated Press)

Lawmakers push to keep fighter production in Georgia

Three Georgia lawmakers are pushing hard in Washington to move the Pentagon to change its plans for ending production of the F-22A fighter jet. The Raptor jet is made at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, and involves two-thousand area jobs. The Defense Department had earlier announced it would phase-out production after 2009, but may be reconsidering. Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, along with Representative Phil Gingrey have been circulating letters of support among lawmakers in 44 states that host work on the jet. The F-22A fighter is among the most expensive planes in the Air Force, about 140 million dollars each. It's nearly 350 million when research and testing expenses are included.