F-22. Photo Credit: Lockheed-Martin Photo GOP Control Of House Could Revive The F-22 Fight -- AJC
The takeover of the U.S. House by Republicans could prompt a revival of the fight for additional funding for the Marietta-built F-22 stealth fighter, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey said Friday.
“This isn’t just for the sake of home-cooking, but also for the sake of the country,” Gingrey said in a telephone interview.
But Gingrey conceded that concerns over spending and the federal deficit could make the funding battle a difficult one. The planes have a price tag of $120 million each. “We would have to look at it with a very, very sharp pencil,” he said. “It would take some negotiating.”
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My Comment: A part of me tells me that this program is dead .... that funding for additional aircraft will not happen. But with production/budget problems in the F-35/JSF increasing, and doubts on its reliability intensifying, there is now a sliver of hope among F-22 supporters that the production line for the F-22 may open up again.
I call the above AJC article a testing of the waters .... a story that is put out there to gather and evaluate criticism and/or support. So what is my take .... there is genuine concern that the F-35/JSF program will not succeed in delivering what has been promised .... hence .... everyone is now loooking at alternatives for the "just in case" scenario.