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Senate panel approves funds for 7 more F-22s

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted to fully fund seven F-22 Raptors for $1.75 billion in the fiscal 2010 defense budget, according to an industry and a congressional source who were not authorized to discuss the vote.

The measure, included in the committee’s markup of the Defense Department’s submitted budget, is in direct opposition to the Obama administration’s desire to stop production of the F-22 at 187 aircraft.

Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said this week that he does not support additional funding for the Raptor.

On Wednesday, the administration issued a veto threat for any defense budget that contains money for F-22s.

The threat was contained in a Statement of Administration Policy letter from the Office of Management and Budget in response to a draft House Armed Services Committee defense bill that contained $369 million in early procurement for a dozen F-22s.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the inclusion of the money on the House side a “big problem.”

Considered a dead program after the Defense Department’s April program cut announcement, the F-22 debate was brought back to life earlier this month when Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, formally asked Air Force leadership about the viability of a foreign export version for Japan.

Last week, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, squeaked through a $369 million provision for F-22 materials in an early morning markup of the House’s authorization bill.

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