Air Force officials have received authorization from Congress for more F-22 Raptors. Some 90 Raptors have been delivered to the Air Force to date. The 478th Aeronautical Systems Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is overseeing the production, delivery and fielding of addtional F-22s. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker)High Costs, Malfunctions Plague F-22 Raptor Fighter Jets -- L.A. Times
The fleet of 158 F-22 planes — costing $412 million each — has never entered combat and has been grounded since May 3 because of a government safety investigation. The probe follows more than a dozen incidents in which oxygen was cut off to pilots, a problem suspected of contributing to at least one fatal accident.
It's the most expensive fighter jet ever built. Yet the F-22 Raptor has never seen a day of combat, and its future is clouded by a government safety investigation that has grounded the jet for months.
The fleet of 158 F-22s has been sidelined since May 3, after more than a dozen incidents in which oxygen was cut off to pilots, making them woozy. The malfunction is suspected of contributing to at least one fatal accident.
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My Comment: $412 million per copy .... and all of it is now sitting on a tarmac. But what really burns me is that no one has been punished for this snafu .... a snafu that would result in the firing and banishment of anyone else in the private sector. Sighhh .... this is the problem with defense procurements .... a total lack of accountability for programs that will last for years and will still be around long after the principle supporters have either retired or have gone elsewhere.