Lockheed Wins F-22 Contract

So, the Advanced Tactical Fighter (F-22) and its $72 billion are flying to Georgia (front page, April 24) on the wings of Lockheed (Georgia), General Dynamics (Texas) and Boeing (Washington).

Never mind that my California congressman, Democrat Mel Levine, is absent 77% of the time, stumping to win a Senate seat and couldn’t care less about jobs.

Never mind that Democrat Sen. Alan Cranston is on the lam for taking S&L; money and, regardless, has never supported the California defense industry.

Never mind that Republican Pete Wilson left us senator-less to pursue the California governorship.

Let’s not pretend this was a true and fair competition between aircraft designs. Northrop designed a truly new, truly great fighter in the YF-23 versus Lockheed’s warmed-over F-18. Political and local support for Northrop was virtually nonexistent. The plane will be built somewhere. It could have been here. Instead, its 20,000 jobs and billions of dollars will not be in Los Angeles County. The competition was between politicians. California’s lost.

I am amazed that our self-seeking politicians and The Times are so disinterested in letting a nearly $100-billion contract leave the region.

The real question is, why did the government make these five companies (Northrop/McDonnell Douglas versus Lockheed/GD/Boeing) go through this sham of a competition when the decision as to who would build the final product was made years ago and not on the basis of the best design?

DANIEL A. KOBLOSH, Redondo Beach