F22 go-ahead.

Hi gang, I found this

In a move that provides considerable relief to Lockheed Martin the Pentagon yesterday gave the go-ahead for the F-22 Raptor air superiority stealth fighter to move to its Low Rate Initial Production phase at a cost of $2.1 billion.

The decision by the Defence Acquisition Board means that a further ten aircraft will be added to the six prototypes that are currently being tested. However, in announcing the decision, Undersecretary of Defense Pete Aldridge said that the number of aircraft to be procured would fall from 331 to 295, to meet budget constraints.

The US Congress has set a cap of $37.5 billion dollars on the programme, but the Pentagon will ask for a total of $45 billion.

Lockheed Martin welcomed the decision, saying the decision would increase “… confidence in the vitality of the F-22 programme across our entire supplier base, which in turn benefits overall F-22 programme affordability.”

After development costs are absorbed the unit cost of the aircraft, already the most expensive ever built, is expected to fall from approximately $180 million to around $100 million. Dain Hancock, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, said, “The F-22 Team is fully committed to meeting the program’s stringent cost and performance goals. We are absolutely up to the challenge of producing 331 aircraft and are committed to make that happen,” suggesting that the company believes it can drive down the unit cost even more and thereby allow the Air Force to buy the full number.