Bring on the Raptors!
090622-N-7780S-014 GULF OF ALASKA (June 22, 2009) An Air Force F-22 Raptor executes a supersonic flyby over the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis is participating in Northern Edge 2009, a joint exercise focusing on detecting and tracking units at sea, in the air and on land. (U.S. Navy photo by Sonar Technician (Surface) 1st Class Ronald Dejarnett/Released)
The House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday added a mark-up to the FY2017 policy bill, released by panel’s Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, directing the Air Force to look into restarting the F-22 Raptor line again after just 187 aircraft were produced.
“In light of growing threats to U.S. air superiority as a result of adversaries closing the technology gap and increasing demand from allies and partners for high performance, multi-role aircraft to meet evolving and worsening global security threats, the committee believes that such proposals are worthy of further exploration,” reads the legislation.
Big Blue would have to report on the study to the congressional defense committees no later than Jan. 1, 2017.
However, the news likely won’t be good unless the new 115th Congress in session then has access to deep pockets and the will to go rooting around in them. As noted by Defense News, a 2010 RAND study commissioned by the Air Force placed the cost to buy just 75 more F-22s at $17 billion in 2008 dollars.
Which is $227 milly per jet.
Of course the F-35 is somewhere between $148 million and $337 million per jet in 2015, depending on the model used, so there is that…