Hatch: Senate Plan Would Save as Much as $335 M on F-22A

HATCH: SENATE PLAN WOULD SAVE AS MUCH AS $335 M ON F-22A

Senate Passes 70-28 Chambliss-Hatch Money-Saving Defense Amendment

An F-22A Raptor from the 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia is refueled by a KC-135R Stratotanker from the 168th Air Refueling Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, during exercise Northern Edge. (Photo courtesy www.af.mil)
Washington - Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) today urged the Senate to procure 60 F-22A Raptors, a plane maintained at Hill Air Force Base (HAFB), over the next three years through a multi-year contract. By using a multi-year contract, rather than buying year by year, this plan would save taxpayers as much as $335 million. The Senate approved the plan by a 70-28 vote.

"It's common sense that you shouldn't pay more for an acquisition than you have to," Hatch said. "Everyone agrees that the Air Force should have these 60 Raptors, and we'll save millions by buying in bulk now."

Sen. Saxby Chambliss's (R-Ga.) introduced the multi-year procurement amendment to the Defense Authorization bill (S. 2766) and Hatch was the primary cosponsor. This procurement would bring the total fleet of Raptors to 183, the number prescribed by the Bush Administration. But Hatch supports the Air Force's goal to bolster the Raptor fleet from 183 to 381, given the ever-increasing demands on America's military.

"The F-22 Raptor is among the most impressive pieces of technology in our nation's Armed Forces," Hatch said. "It's designed to defeat the threats of the future, and is urgently needed to replace our fleet of aging F-15s. In stealth, maneuverability, speed, and bombing capabilities, the F-22 is the Air Force's war-winner."

HAFB personnel perform maintenance work on the Raptor, including construction of the horizontal stabilizing portion of the aircraft's tail. The Raptor will bring more jobs to HAFB, as base personnel are experts in using the composite materials that incorporate the plane's stealth technology.

"The Air Force knows that when they want a job done right, they need to come to Utah," Hatch said. "For depot maintenance, no one comes close to Hill."

The independent Institute for Defense Analysis believes Chambliss's amendment would save between $225 and $335 million.

"The Raptor is stealthier than the famous F-117 Nighthawk, and it's the world's most lethal and maneuverable fighter aircraft," Hatch said. "During recent decades, other nations have been consistently developing new aircraft and missile systems to defeat our older fighters. Obviously, we need the F-22 and we have identified a means to save money while we are buying it."

http://hatch.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=1600&Month=6&Year=2006