F-22 DOGFIGHT — Congress knows best?
Watching the pitched dogfight over the future of the F-22 Raptor, brings back fond memories of past congressional battles over expensive weapons systems, also derided at the time as cold war relics: notably the $2 Billion B-2 Stealth Bomber.
When the Pentagon decided 20 of the radar-evading batwing bombers was more than enough, some in Congress had a fit. Originally conceived as a platform to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviets, the B-2 was reconfigured for a conventional role, and proved useful, especially in the opening phase of the air war in Iraq in 2003. But in the mid 90s the debate was – just as it is now over the F-22 – not about the effectiveness of the plane, but how many we needed. The exorbitant cost of the B-2 – even MORE expensive than the F-22 – was due in part to the small number made. The fewer planes you buy, the more each one costs, when you roll in research and development. The last planes you buy are far cheaper the first to roll off the production line. So by the end, the Air Force could have picked up more B-2s at the bargain price of roughly $600 million a copy, but demurred.
Because planes you don’t really need are no bargain at any price. The national has gotten along just fine with 20 B-2s. (There were 21, but one crashed) So why doesn’t Congress get that? Well for one thing they believe they are not getting the straight scoop from Air Force officers, who must bow to the wishes of their civilian overseers. And in fact, back-channel communications may be supporting that. Many in Congress believe the push to cap production of F-22s at 187 is driven almost entirely by fiscal concerns and not future defense needs, and that moreover that the state-of-the art fighter has gotten a bad rap as “not suitable for current missions”. It is in fact as suitable as ay fighter we have, just WAY pricier.
So Air Force officials may dutifully say publically the nation will have enough F-22s, even while in their hearts they believe the U.S. needs more. And until the F-22 production line is actually shut down the dogfight over its future will not be over. It is very hard to kill a major weapons program. Like a vampires, they keep coming back to life.
So, don’t bank on the F-22 purchase being capped at 187 planes, when so many in the Air Force secretly lust for more than 380. The Senate’s rejection of an additional 1.75 billion is not the end of the battle by any means. Stay tuned.
