The Air Force hasn’t asked Lockheed Martin for any special pricing on another three-year multiyear procurement of the F-22, company program manager Larry Lawson reported yesterday. The F-22 will be judged on current costs, which stem from the current multiyear deal. The flyaway unit cost of a Raptor is $140 million, Lawson said during an interview, and could go down some more. However, given that the F-22 is replacing about 880 F-15s, it’s a relative bargain when factoring the highly increased survivability it offers over fourth-generation fighters, he said. (Note: New-build F-15s cost about $100 million apiece, based on the most recent sales to Singapore and South Korea.)
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
