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US DoD Releases Additional F-22 Funding
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The US Department of Defense has released funding to build an additional four F-22 Raptor fighter jets beyond the 183 already
purchased. -
US lawmakers have called on the Pentagon to release USD140 million in advanced procurement funds that have already been appropriated
to pave the way for the purchase of an additional 20 F-22s.They – along with some US Air Force (
USAF) officials – have argued that failing to robustly fund the F-22 would lead to the
shut-down of the world’s only fully operational fifth-generation fighter production line.However, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Pentagon officials have until now resisted efforts to fund the F-22 beyond
the 183 already purchased, preferring to focus funding on the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. -
Young is meeting both sides half way by keeping the line open in the short term but leaving long-term decisions about F-22
production to the next administration.
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