Is the F-22 really dead?
Pentagon programs never die. They evolve.
Is the made-in-Marietta, $361 million-a-pop F-22 Raptor fighter jet really dead?
Headline writers seem to think so.
From the AJC: Pentagon plans to ax F-22 project
From the Christian Science Monitor: Pentagon budget kills F-22
From The Examiner: Marietta made F-22 Raptor killed by DoD
These obituaries were prompted by yesterday’s announcement from the Pentagon that it plans to buy just four additional jets between now and 2011 before shutting down production. So far, 140 F-22s have been built.
I have a strong feeling obits for the F-22 are premature.
Fat weapons projects — particularly ones that employ thousands of people in dozens of congressional districts — have an uncanny ability to not die.