Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Decision on F-22 Fighter Program Delayed

by Christopher Hellman [contact information]

February 27, 2009

At a press conference on February 25, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell stated that the anticipated decision on the future of the F-22 Raptor fighter program, scheduled for March 1, would only cover the fate of the remaining money appropriated by Congress for “long-lead” or “advanced” procurement of parts and materials for additional aircraft, not the fate of the program itself.

The final decision on the fate of the F-22 will be announced as part of the rollout of the Pentagon’s full Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 budget request in mid-April.

According to Mr. Morrell, a final decision on the F-22 program “won't be made by March 1st, I'll tell you that.”

The Pentagon has delayed the release of $140 million appropriated by Congress for long-lead procurement for the F-22 program in FY 2009 due to Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s concerns about the need for additional F-22 aircraft beyond the 183 already funded by Congress. The Defense Department has already released $50 million of the total, and the expected March 1 decision will cover the remaining $90 million.

While the $140 million is intended to acquire parts for additional F-22 aircraft, Mr. Morrell also cautioned that a Pentagon decision to go ahead with purchase of these parts does not necessarily represent a commitment to continue the F-22 program, as the parts could also be used on other Pentagon programs such as the Joint Strike Fighter.

Said Mr. Morrell:

Part of the reason not to read too much into how that -- the $140 million is spent…is that the long-lead parts that we have bought, for example, with the 50 million we've spent already, especially the titanium, these are dual-purpose parts.

So even if there's a decision that we're not going to buy any above the four replacement aircraft, those materials could be used for other aircraft; for example, the Joint Strike Fighter. So I just caution you not to read too much into whatever the communication is that's made to Congress on March 1st. To know the future of the F-22 program, you will have to wait until the FY '10 budget is rolled out. [Emphasis added.]

For more on the status of the F-22 program, see "Three Weapons Systems to Watch in 2009: F-22 Raptor, DDG-1000 Destroyer, Future Combat Systems"