Air Force Plans to Slash Order for New Fighter Jet

The Pentagon is planning deep reductions in spending on the Air Force’s F/A-22 Raptor, the costliest fighter jet ever built, amid rising spending on the Iraq war, U.S. defense officials said Wednesday.

The fast, agile, stealthy jet is slated to replace the aging F-15 Eagle, which was first made three decades ago, as the front-line U.S. fighter starting in 2005. Lockheed Martin Corp. is the program’s prime contractor.

Proponents view the F/A-22 as vital for maintaining U.S. air superiority in future conflicts, but its costs have escalated and some Pentagon officials have questioned how much the aircraft is needed as American forces confront low-tech enemies in Iraq and elsewhere.

The White House has asked federal departments to shrink requests for spending in the next fiscal year; at the same time, costs of the 21-month-old Iraq war have been mounting.

Defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon had informed officials at the White House as well as Congress that the Pentagon intended to scale back spending on the F/A-22, but did not give a precise amount.

Lockheed shares fell $1.51 on Wednesday to $55.25 on the New York Stock Exchange.

About $40 billion has been spent on the F/A-22 program. The Air Force put the current cost per plane at $256.8 million with developmental expenses factored in and $133.3 million with those expenses excluded.

“I will say that we are going to ensure that the F/A-22 remains healthy,” said Eric Ruff, a Pentagon spokesman.

The Air Force had planned to purchase 277 F/A-22s.

Defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute think tank said the Bush administration might leave funding largely intact for fiscal years 2006 and 2007 but then impose substantial cuts starting in 2008 and close out production at about 160 planes at the end of the decade.

Tom Jurkowsky, a spokesman for Lockheed, said, “We have not been informed of any changes to the status of the program by either the Air Force or the Department of Defense.”