In the F-22 matter, Wynne and Moseley feel they won an important concession by getting DOD to stretch out production through 2010. Why? Their answer is that such a plan will put the two “fifth generation” fighters—the F-22 and F-35, in heel-to-toe production. Here’s another, albeit unstated, possibility: The Bush Administration won’t be around to build the 2011 budget. It just could be that a new Pentagon team would decide to keep building Raptors, which will be easy if the line is still open.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
