CT delegation presses to save F-22

Connecticut Congressional leaders and the governor said today they are urging the Obama administration to reconsider its decision to cut funding to the Air Force's F-22 fighter many of whose key components are supplied by Hartford-based United Technologies Corp.

Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman and Representatives Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Joe Courtney, Chris Murphy and Jim Himes wrote to President Barack Obama informing him of their strong disagreement with the decision to cut production of the F-22 Raptor and pledging to fight for continued production of the aircraft.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell vowed today to assist in the effort.

Connecticut will likely face between 2,000 and 3,000 lost jobs as a result of this decision, UTC chief executive officer Louis Chenevert warned last month. UTC subsidiary Pratt & Whitney builds the F-22 engine in its Middletown facility, and Hamilton Sundstrand performs electrical work. Most of the job cuts would be felt at these companies, but in-state subcontractors would also be affected, Chenevert said last month.

The potential cuts at UTC would be on top of the 11,600 already announced for this year as part of a restructuring program.

In the letter, the members of Connecticut's Congressional Delegation said, "As representatives of more than 2,000 highly-skilled engineers, machinists and aerospace workers who help build the Raptor, we strongly disagree with this decision." The members continued, "We will work with our congressional colleagues to fully fund the purchase of additional F-22 aircraft to meet critical national security needs."

Full text of the letter is below:

 

April 7, 2009

 

The Honorable Barack H. Obama

President of the United States

1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

Washington D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama:

We write in response to Secretary Gates' announcement yesterday that he will recommend to end production of the F-22 Raptor at 187 aircraft. As representatives of more than 2,000 highly-skilled engineers, machinists and aerospace workers who help build the Raptor, we strongly disagree with this decision.

We support your initiative to ensure that defense programs are both held accountable to their projected budgets and remain relevant to our defense requirements, and we believe the F-22 meets both of these standards. As you know, the cost of the F-22 has dropped 35 percent since it went into full scale production, and the Air Force has already reduced its requirement for this aircraft from 750 to 381. Buying just 187 F-22s would be less than a quarter of the original goal and far less than our national security requires.

Additional F-22 Raptors are critical to maintaining America's security in the face of new threats. The aircraft is unmatched by any adversary in the sky and can evade detection by any known radar, including those of North Korea, Iran, and Syria. Ending the F-22 program now would be premature in light of the ongoing analysis of the threats our nation faces as the Pentagon prepares its Quadrennial Defense Review.

Further, terminating the F-22 will seriously erode our industrial base, leaving our nation with significantly reduced capability to produce advanced fighter aircraft. Despite Secretary Gates' announced increase in F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) production, the JSF program will not reach full-rate production until 2014. Thus, absent continued investment in the F-22, the United States will lose critical aerospace production capacity at a time when it is in the grips of the worst economic recession in decades.

Once lost, we believe it will be extremely difficult to reconstitute such a skilled workforce - impeding not only our national security, but also our competitiveness for decades to come. One of our greatest national assets is our highly-skilled and innovative workforce, personified by the thousands of working men and women in Connecticut that maintain America's continued superiority in aerospace manufacturing.

We will work with our congressional colleagues to fully fund the purchase of additional F-22 aircraft to meet critical national security needs. We look forward to working with you, Secretary Gates, and the Air Force leadership to identify just how many more of these aircraft we need to guarantee American air superiority well into the twenty-first century.

We thank you for your continued service and your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,

Reader response:

"As usual we prepare for the last war. The Japanese taught us about the use of the aircraft carrier. The Russians about the ICBM. Perhaps we should teach trench building ala WWI to really save money. After all, What price do you put on freedom? We must continue the F-22 production.'' -- T. Balas, Stacy AC