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| June 29th, 2007 |
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Media Contact(s): Peter Carr (202) 224-9854,
Jared Whitley (202) 224-0134 |
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Printable Version |
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HATCH-SUPPORTED PLAN FOR F-22A RAPTOR WILL SAVE U.S. $411M
Fighter Will Be Maintained at Hill Air Force Base |
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| Senator Hatch examines the F-22A on a trip to Tyndall AFB in Florida. Hill Air Force Base has been chosen as the F-22A’s Depot Maintenance Facility. |
Washington – According to an independent analysis released today, a Congressional proposal to buy the F-22A Raptor in bulk will save taxpayers even more than planned. In last year’s National Defense Authorization Act, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) helped secure a plan to procure 60 F-22A Raptors over the next three years through a multi-year contract, rather than buy them year by year. Initial predictions had this plan saving taxpayers between $225 and $335 million. But today the non-profit RAND Corporation concluded that the multi-year plan will save as much as $411 million in construction of the Raptor, a plane maintained at Utah’s Hill Air Force Base (HAFB).
“In a time when America is waging a war against terrorism that is truly global in scope, the demand on our nation’s resources is considerable,” Hatch said. “We need to find innovative ways to stay on the frontier of military technology while being good stewards over the taxpayers’ money. I’m gratified that the multi-year contract for the F-22A will save even more than we originally expected.”
Hatch was the primary cosponsor to the F-22A multi-year procurement amendment to last year’s the Defense Authorization. The Air Force developed the F-22 to replace the outgoing F-15, which has maintained U.S. air superiority in every conflict largely in the last 30 years. The F-22A’s combination of stealth, supersonic cruise, advanced maneuverability, and sensor-fused avionics makes this aircraft a powerful deterrent to countries contemplating a challenge to U.S. interests.
“The F-22A is more than just a fighter – it is also a bomber,” Hatch said. “It was constructed to combat the threats of 21st Century, which include integrated air defenses of both surface-to-air missiles and fighters deployed to leverage the strengths of both systems. Such a system could pose a very real possibility of denying U.S. aircraft access to strategically important regions during future conflicts.”
HAFB personnel perform depot maintenance work on the Raptor. The Raptor will bring more jobs to HAFB, in part base personnel are experts in using the composite materials that are incorporated into the plane’s stealth technology.
“The Air Force knows that when they want a job done right, they come to Utah,” Hatch said. “For depot maintenance, no one comes close to Hill.”
The report is available online at http://www.rand.org/news/press.07/06.29.html.
View related PDF: DODreRANDreportonF220.PDF (175.8 KBs)
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