 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Gates calls US Congress move on F-22 jet a 'problem'
Washington (AFP) June 18, 2009 Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday a move by US lawmakers to reject his advice and fund the production of a dozen more F-22 fighters was a "big problem." The US House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday passed an amendment extending production of the F-22 Raptor, a sophisticated stealth fighter aircraft the Pentagon has sought to scrub. Lawmakers voted 31 to 30 to provide 369 million dollars over two years to purchase parts to construct 12 more of the Raptors, built by Lockheed Martin and Boeing. "I would say it's a big problem. I have a big problem with it," Gates told reporters when asked about the committee's decision. The vote was contrary to his recommendations and President Barack Obama's proposed budget, he said. Asked if the move, which must still be approved by the full House of Representatives and the Senate, would be vetoed by the president, Gates said: "I'm not going to go that far at this point. I think describing it as a big problem suggests where I am on it." Gates had sought to cap production at 187 jets, meaning only four more would be built. But many Republicans balked at the administration's plans. The F-22 program has its origins in the Cold War, and its advocates say the Raptor is crucial to maintaining US air superiority as China and other possible adversaries invest in modern fighters. But critics say a larger fleet of F-22s is unnecessary at a time when funds are needed for weapons more suited to counter-insurgency campaigns like those in Iraq and Afganistan. The Raptor has not been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Gates has instead proposed a major investment in F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The defense secretary rejected criticism that he has moved away from conventional weaponry in favor of irregular or counter-insurgency capabilities. "You know, a trillion dollars for the Joint Strike Fighter, a fifth-generation fighter that has some capabilities the F-22 does not, is not a trivial investment in the future," Gates said. The defense secretary also said he would go ahead with plans to open competition for a politically sensitive contract to replace the aging fleet of air refueling aircraft by "mid-summer." The Pentagon awarded the 35-billion-dollar contract for 179 aircraft to the EADS/Northrop Grumman team in February 2008, but Boeing successfully challenged the decision with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links The latest in Military Technology for the 21st century at SpaceWar.com
Centre for ex-Soviet weapons scientists warns of budget cutsMoscow (AFP) June 18, 2009 An international centre that funds ex-Soviet weapons scientists to prevent their knowledge from falling into the hands of terrorists warned on Thursday that it faces steep budget cuts. "Our centre clearly has less funds available than two or three years ago," Adriaan van der Meer, executive director of the Moscow-based International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC), told AFP. ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook