Senior Air Force officials say they were given a $15 billion budget cut across 2007-11, leaving them with scant room to wiggle. There will be personnel cuts (see below). And, the service will buy only 183 F/A-22 Raptors (number corrected from 185 following official USAF briefing on 12/13/05). The fighters will cost more per unit because the service must extend production by two years to 2010 to create a bridge to F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production. All four services are taking cuts, but they all agreed USAF must buy fifth generation fighters. Say goodbye to the FB-22 bomber variant, however. Watch this space for more QDR news.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
