Top Air Force generals met earlier this week to discuss the decision to end production of the F-22 at 187 aircraft, and their reaction was strong. Appraisals of the response range from “surprise and concern” to “shock and dismay,” senior service officials and those familiar with the discussion told the Daily Report. One senior service official said the leadership will “work through” the situation and see if something can be done “to address the F-22 in the quadrennial defense review.” However, by then it will likely be too late as the suppliers of F-22 long-lead-time parts and materials will have stopped work, and the cost to reconstitute those parts of the production line might be too tough for even the most ardent F-22 supporters in Congress to support.
RTX’s Raytheon unit was able to “significantly” extend the range of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile using mostly software changes in experimental tests last year, expanding the reach and lethality of the standard U.S. dogfighting weapon, company officials said Sept. 15.
