In this July 20, 2008 file photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, F-22 Raptors, built by Lockheed Martin Corp., fly above Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.From The L.A. Times:
The firm tells Washington that continuing the fighter-jet program would save about 100,000 jobs in the U.S., including in California.
Reporting from Washington -- Lockheed Martin Corp. is lobbying the Obama administration to buy additional F-22 fighter jets by arguing that continued production of the plane would preserve nearly 100,000 jobs across the country, including 19,500 in California.
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and other officials have voiced skepticism over the F-22 program in the past, and disagreements over the future of the plane led to a shake-up in Air Force leadership last year.
But Larry Lawson, the F-22 program general manger for Lockheed Martin, said Tuesday that if the administration decided to continue production of the fighter, known as the Raptor, it would have a precise and immediate economic effect.
"Our point is, No. 1, this preserves jobs, and No. 2, it is immediate. You don't have to develop anything," Lawson said. "This is 'shovel ready.' "
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My Comment: The F-35 was a big hit at an Indian Trade Show this week. It is the Russian answer to the F-22. To save this plane the U.S. may have to rethink their export restrictions on this plane.