new F/A-22 unit cost

Reuters: a cool $1b for three ac!

U.S. auditor blasts Lockheed F/A-22 fighter jet

The U.S. General Accounting Office on Monday blasted Lockheed Martin
Corp’s F/A-22 fighter jet, saying the Pentagon should weigh the high
risk of future cost increases and program delays before deciding in
December to start full production.

The investigative arm of Congress said costs for the program that began
during the Cold War era were expected to grow to $80 billion from an Air
Force estimate of $72 billion, and the Pentagon had not explained why it
still needed the pricey fighter in a changed military environment.

In an annual report to Congress, GAO said the Pentagon estimated it
would cost $11.7 billion to expand the air-to-ground attack capability
of the F/A-22 “Raptor,” of which only $3.5 billion had been earmarked
through fiscal 2009.

Keith Ashdown at Taxpayers for Common Sense said the new data put the
per-unit cost of each F/A-22 “into the realm of absurdity” at $330
million, up from $257 million last year.

“This is a damning report,” he said, predicting intense debate in
Congress, although he acknowledged it would be tough to cut the program,
which has subcontractors in 44 states.

Critics decry the F/A-22 as a Cold War relic, a stealthy jet initially
designed for air-to-air combat with Soviet MiGs, and the program has
come under increasing scrutiny by lawmakers and the White House in the
wake of rising federal deficits.

The White House Office of Management and Budget in February ordered a
comprehensive study of the F/A-22 and the Army’s Comanche helicopter
program, which has since been canceled .

GAO said the U.S. military has already spent $40 billion on the F/A-22
over the last 18 years, but now faces decisions on $40 billion more as
the F/A-22 moves toward full production, especially given continuing
reliability and avionics problems.

“Based on current design problems and the development efforts that
remain, the F/A-22 program’s affordability is uncertain,” the report
concluded, noting that avionics upgrades the Air Force says it needs
would drive costs even higher.

The GAO report follows testimony this month from Christopher Bolkcom,
chief military aviation analyst of the nonpartisan Congressional
Research Service, who said the Raptor should be scaled back in favor of
cheaper alternatives.

Bolkcom said recent conflicts have required no real air-to-air combat
capability, and unmanned aircraft could help the U.S. dominate the skies
more affordably than the F/A-22.

The Air Force estimates it will be able to buy just 218 fighter jets —
down from the 277 currently planned — if Congress maintains the $36.8
billion production cost cap it imposed in 1998 in the wake of ballooning
program costs.

The Air Force, which initially planned to buy 750 Raptors, insists it
needs 381 to accomplish its mission goals, and effectively fought off an
internal Pentagon initiative two years ago to trim the total purchase to
180 fighter jets.

Loren Thompson at the Virginia-based Lexington Institute said the Air
Force would likely accept a cutback to save the program. He said there
was “zero likelihood” of cancellation.

The Air Force says it remains committed to the F/A-22, meant to replace
the F-15C as the top U.S. air-to-air fighter.

“The F/A-22 is an insurance policy for our nation’s defense and will
serve not only the Air Force, but also ground, sea, and special
operations forces,” said Maj. Cheryl Law.

Lockheed spokesman Tom Jurkowsky said the F/A-22 was on track to meet
its target of going operational in December 2005, meeting key parameters
on stealth, speed and sensors.

Senior military acquisition officials are due to review the program and
approve the operational testing on March 22, with a decision on moving
into full production due in December.