Air Force News, news from Iraq - Air Force Times

House committee adds $369M for 12 more F-22s

A late amendment to the 2010 defense authorization bill slipped in $369 million for advance procurement of a dozen more F-22 Raptor stealth fighters.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, offered an amendment to the House Armed Services Committee authorization bill that would take the money from a Defense Department environmental clean-up fund to pay for advance procurement for 12 more of the fifth-generation aircraft.

Bishop’s stance is in direct opposition to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who announced in April that the F-22 program would stop at 187 aircraft.

“There is no study or analysis we have been able to see at the committee in support of Secretary Gates’ assertion that 187 aircraft is sufficient to meet future air threats to our homeland a decade from now,” Bishop said during the bill’s mark-up. “To the contrary, Air Force Chief of Staff [Norton] Schwartz has testified in front of our committee in disagreement with the Secretary that he believes that 243 F-22s would represent moderate risk.

“We at least must work towards getting to that 243 number.”

The amendment would not fully fund the aircraft, which cost $141 million a copy, but provide money to purchase long-lead materials.

The last-minute addition narrowly squeaked into the House Armed Services Committee authorization bill by a 31-30 vote.

The bill headed for a full vote on the floor of the House of Representatives also contains language that runs counter to the administration’s budget.

Those amendments include:

* A prohibition forbidding the Air Force from retiring 250 aging fighter aircraft.

* A request for the Defense Department to study the sale of the F-22 to Japan.

* A request for a Pentagon study into cost savings to buy new upgraded F-15s, F-16s and F-18s, so-called 4.5-generation fighters. .