Two F-22 Raptors from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., pull away from an air tanker after receiving fuel off the East Coast in July 2012. Jeremy Lock/Courtesy U.S. Air Force
F-22 Program Produces Few Planes, Soaring Costs -- Stars And Stripes/L.A. Times
When the U.S. sought to assure Asian allies that it would defend them against potential aggression by North Korea this spring, the Pentagon deployed its top-of-the-line jet fighter, the F-22 Raptor.
But only two of the jets were sent screaming through the skies south of Seoul.
That token show of American force was a stark reminder that the U.S. may have few F-22s to spare. Alarmed by soaring costs, the Defense Department shut down production last year after spending $67.3 billion on just 188 planes — leaving the Air Force to rely mainly on its fleet of 30-year-old conventional fighters.
“People around the world aren’t dumb,” said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif. “They see what we have. They recognize that our forces have been severely depleted.”
Read more ....
MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
Two New Russian ICBMs -- Strategy Page
Nuclear cuts can only be discussed together with missile defense - Lavrov -- RT
Russia to Fulfill Syria Missile System Contract -- AP
Ammo Blasts Continue at Blaze-Engulfed Russian Army Facility -- RIA Novosti
Two Russian-built Attack Boats to Vietnam in 2013 -- USNI
Romania to buy second-hand F-16 fighter jets -- Reuters
China’s Fighters, Drone Look Like U.S. Aircraft -- Defense Tech
Exercises with Indonesia show growing ties with largest Muslim nation -- Stars and Stripes
Poor leadership, planning led to USS Guardian hitting reef near Philippines, report finds -- Stars and Stripes
Soldiers in Afghanistan to Receive New Networking Gear -- Defense Tech
Hagel says StratCom key to fighting new threats -- Stars and Stripes/AP
Long-Range Strike: A Comparative Analysis of Fighters, Bombers, and Missiles -- Defence Talk/RAND
Lockheed Eyes C-130J for Commercial Market -- DoD Buzz
MC-27J To Test-fire its Cannon Within the Year -- Defense News
Boeing Courts Possible KC-46A Tanker Buyers -- DoD Buzz
Raytheon extends ballistic missile defense capability through radar modernization effort -- Space Daily
Testing shows big improvement in Lockheed unmanned minehunter -- Reuters
Report: The CIA Picked Amazon To Build Its Cloud Even Though IBM Would've Been Cheaper -- Business Insider
Amazon’s Invasion of the CIA Is a Seismic Shift in Cloud Computing -- Wired Enterprise
5 Fun Facts From the Latest NSA Leak -- Threat Level
The Tired Debate Over Missile Defense -- Robert Farley, The Diplomat
Owner’s Guide: How to Use Your Nuclear Weapons -- Mark Thompson, Battleland/Time
No comments:
Post a Comment