Only one day after President Barack Obama signed a defense bill authorizing the shutdown of the F-22 production line, the US Air Force announced signing a contract to buy the last four F-22s.
Lockheed Martin Corp., of Fort Worth, Texas was awarded a $474,200,000 contract which will provide for the issuance of full production of four F-22 Lot 10 air vehicles, alternate mission equipment, production engineering support and work in process through Aug. 11, 2009 for 16 shipsets of raw material aircraft fuselage titanium. 478 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8611-09-C-2900,P00007).The notice shows all hope for the F-22's future within the USAF apparently died on August 11, when Lockheed's supply chain stopped work on titanium to build 16 more stealth fighters. Let the record show that was three weeks after Senate authorizers voted to kill the F-22, but nearly one month before Senate appropriators followed suit.
Although I called it a 'parting gift' in the headline, yes, I do realize more money is coming. Lockheed now has to negotiate a program termination fee. The USAF also plans to spend some $8 billion to upgrade all 186 F-22s, including the last four purchased above. The only question left is whether the last F-22 contract will be paid in yen.
on October 29, 2009 11:29 PM | Reply
help me out. i don't get the yen reference...
on October 29, 2009 11:57 PM | Reply
Solomon, Stephen is referring to the possibility - if you ask me, the IMpossibility - that Japan may acquire the aircraft.
on October 30, 2009 12:07 AM | Reply
You read my mind, Obamanite, if not my cryptic copy. Look, I don't think it's impossible. Lots of weird things could start happening next year if Gates retires and the Republicans re-take control in the mid-terms, although that's not a sure-bet either.
on October 30, 2009 2:19 PM | Reply
The japanese never put a penny in the table,is all talks.
on October 30, 2009 7:10 PM | Reply
Wouldn't it be funny if this happened to the F-22
http://www.aviastar.org/air/usa/vought_v-143.php
on October 30, 2009 7:14 PM | Reply
If I recall correctly, the Gross brothers attempted to sell Lockheed P-38s to Japan shortly before the war started. Can you imagine the sight of P-38s bombing Pearl Harbor?
on November 3, 2009 6:46 PM | Reply
another 8 billion just for 186 upgrades? that used to be a lot of money, nowadays that is just 24 hours of FED printing some more dollars...