On Tuesday, July 21 Lockheed’s much heralded and often maligned F22 fighter jet program came crashing down when the Senate voted to kill the funding for the program.
The 58 to 40 vote demonstrated that the Democrats in control agreed with Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ position that the expensive jet fighters were no longer needed given the type of national defense which is becoming the norm in today’s world of counterinsurgency war efforts.
The vote was a victory for Gates who had been lobbying against the F22 since last spring. Gates campaign against the fighter was based upon his experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan where high-tech, aerial warfare was never required in either conflict.
However, Gate’s view has been criticized by many in the Air Force and defense contractors who largely benefitted from the $65 billion F22 program. Some estimate that up to 95,000 aerospace positions will need to be eliminated with the demise of the $1.75 billion fighter program.
These concerns span the country and will affect the aerospace industry in 40 of the 50 states where various F22 components are designed, manufactured and assembled.
Many in favor of the program argue that killing the program will weaken America’s overall defense because the industry will ultimately lose thousands of highly skilled engineers and scientists. Opponents state that to spend money on the F22 weakens the ability of the country to direct valuable resources toward troops where it is most needed.
Proponents of the program argue that the program is less than two tenths of a percentage of the overall defense spending budget and that the cost to the economy through lost jobs will be far more expensive that the program in the end.
The Senate vote now leaves the two Houses of Congress at odds over the final disposition of the F22 Fighter Jet program. However, even if there is a compromise, it is evident that the government will cut spending on the $360 million aircraft to a fraction of the original contract and cap the purchase to 187 jets.
In the ensuing nine days remaining before Congress adjourns for the summer, there may be no final decision or compromise between the Senate and House leaving the final fate of the F22 up in the air.
