In April of 2009, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced the termination of the F-22 “Raptor” Fighter program. His action stopped production at 187 F-22s and ended a procurement process that spanned 28 years with an original goal of manufacturing 750 airplanes. The decision to end F-22 production was an initial step to reduce defense budgets and begin a reformation of the acquisition process. Several diverse and compelling factors contributed to this decision that collectively make it seem long overdue in retrospect.
The foremost factor in the decision was the program’s uncontrollable expenditures, which made it an obvious target in the quest to reduce defense acquisition spending. Additionally, security assessments revealed no immediate
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After taking office in 2009, the new president presented priorities that would require reduced defense spending. This process of establishing new priorities likely began immediately after his inauguration and the 2010 National Security Strategy documents this shift. In the opening remarks, the President declares his focus on building strength at home through economic growth and national debt reduction. He also places priority on health care, education improvement and the pursuit of green energy with only cursory remarks on defense capability. Although it may not have been the President’s intent, messages like these prompted DoD leaders to closely examine budgets and identify areas of substantial savings. Under this scrutiny, the F-22 production and modernization program, at more than double its original projections of costs and time, stood …show more content…
dominance in the skies. Unfortunately, the immature nature of key technologies and a lack of stringent financial management led to egregious budget overruns. The same factors also more than doubled the time required to reach initial operating capability and drove a reduction in the number of aircraft purchased. By the time of the decision, the more modern and highly adaptable F-35 JSF overshadowed F-22 production. The JSF would be available in sufficient numbers and in time to match any major air superiority threat. Incidental to the F-22 review, wide-sweeping reformation of the entire acquisition and contracting process began. Ultimately, the F-22 Raptor provided a foundation for advanced aviation technologies but at a cost that was too great to
...ferent aircraft in teams. Together, it is very hard to detect, deny, and destroy these fighters. Maybe there should be an equal investment across multiple platforms so that the threat the U.S. possess is less likely to be contested when conducting operations.
Lockheed Martin is an organization that heavily relies on its defense contracts in order to generate revenue. In 2005, 95% of Lockheed Martin’s revenue came from the US Department of Defense, other US Federal government agencies and foreign military customers (Defense News, 2007). Lockheed Martin earns this revenue by winning government contracts. As previously noted, Lockheed Martin has a large customer base with the US Department of Defense. The company is the largest provider of IT services, systems integration, and training to the government (Lockheed Martin, 2008). Other customers that provide revenue for Lockheed Martin are international governments and some commercial sales of products and services (Lockheed Martin, 2008).
The F-22 program was faced with many problems to overcome. These problems included reduced defense budgets and fewer fighters in the future. To overcome these problems the F-22s design team established three guidelines for a fighter that would be operational in an uncertain future. First, the F-22 was designed to exploit any and all information. It's designed to gather information from many sources and than compile all that information into a simple picture of the tactical situation for the pilot. This will provide the pilot a huge edge over most of today's fighters. Second, The F-22 was designed to deny the enemy information on its location and what its doing. Thirdly, The F-22 was designed to bring overwhelming lethality to a fight. The US hinted at this during Operation Desert Storm where fewer aircraft using precision munitions, accomplished greater destruction of military targets in a shorter period than in previous American wars. To build an aircraft that would embody all three of these guidelines the engineers turned to computers. One of the design characteristics that make the F-22 so unique is that it has been built around computers. In essence the F-22s growth is in direct correlation to the development of computer technology. The F-22 was also designed to "Super cruise", conventional fighter have been designed to reach speeds above Mach 1 but only to sustain them for short periods of time. The F-22s ability to super cruise allows it to maintain this airspeed for longer periods of time.
As America heads into a new year, we find our government tightening its purse strings and cracking down on excessive spending, with an emphasis on the US military. According to author Brad Plumer, a reporter at the Washington Post, “U.S. defense spending is expected to have risen in 2012, to about $729 billion, and then is set to fall in 2013 to $716 billion, as spending caps start kicking in.” Pared with a more drastic 350 billion dollar cute going into effect over the next ten years, the military finds itself cutting what cost the most to maintain and support troops (Fact Sheet par. 2). In recent years the military has bolstered an overwhelming 1,468,364 troops (Active Duty). These numbers are to be cut substantially; the biggest cut is to be seen in the Army. The Army must deal with a reduction of 80,000 troops, cutting its force of 570,000 troops to nearly 140,000.Subsequently, the budget cuts, which have led to a reduction of troops in the military, has driven the military to turn to advanced weapons technology that requires less people to m...
On January 13, 1975, Air Force Secretary John McLucas announced that the YF-16 had been selected as the winner of the Air Combat Fighter (ACF) contest. The Air Force placed a contract for fifteen Full-Scale Development (FSD) airframes. Both single and two-seat versions would be built, with the single-seater being designated F-16A and the two seater F-16B. The reason given by the Secretary for the decision was the lower operating cost, longer range, and better transient maneuverability of the YF-16.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter(JSF) Block 2B is one of the strike aircraft weapon systems whose manufacturing is being contracted to the Aeronautics Division of Lockheed Martin by the Pentagon. The F-35 is US military's fifth-generation fighter and the mission of the project is to allow the Combatant Commander to attack targets effectively [4]. There has been many controversies and repeated failures over the years.
By 2008, $27 billion had been spent on the program and another $27.2 billion was required to complete planned production numbers. Between 2008 and 2011, the estimated lifetime cost for maintaining the V-22 grew by 61 percent, mostly allocated to maintenance and support. With current budget cuts and spending plans the Army will have to make an informed decision on where it will go with the future of Army Aviation fixed wings. Doubling the budget for development is no longer an option as draw downs and spending restraints
The research reveals some deficiencies in the F-35 program, will not be eliminated right away however does not hinder the absolute potential the F-35 offers. Although the overall program is behind schedule, providing the American people an aircraft that serves as a national asset is critical. The overall potential of the F-35 and the air superiority that it provides is required to keep our nation safe for the near
“The Budget and Economic Outlook : Fiscal Years 2010 to 2020.” Congress of the United States
One of the major down falls to the F-35 is the financial cost. In a time when budgets are extremely tight, the Department of Defense (DOD) is starring at a 391.2 billion dollar bill for 2,443 aircraft. That calculates to be around $160 million per aircraft. In addition to the staggering cost of the project, the F-35 has come across some very significant production issues. These issues range from simple wingtip lighting issues, to major issues, such as structural stress fractures and engine failures. While the F-35 has been touted to replace most aging aircraft, some believe that it will not be able to perform all of the functions needed for superior Close Air Support (CAS) mission. This argument has been backed up by the fact that the F-35 will rely on the utilization of Precision Guided Missiles (PGMs), a “danger close” range of 200 meters, while the A-10’s gun provides for a “danger close” range of 90 meters, figures that can have a significant impact on how close a weapons system can be employed while minimizing the chances of friendly fire
At the July Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Conference, LTG Ostrowski, the Army Acquisition Executive Lead, conveyed the Army’s need for future network solutions. It was also shared in the FY16 Presidential Budget that the Army has several budget requests for Communications systems and upgrades totally over $1.2B (Keller, J. , 2015). This is an opportunity for the Comms BU to expand its customer base in the U.S. Army market place. Northrop Grumman was ranked in the Top 5 of Aerospace and Defense Companies in Forbes America’s Best Employers list (2017). They were ranked over larger companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Their commitment to their employees, diversity, their customer and even the environment drives their culture. Northrop Grumman’s competitive advantage is leveraging the technology already developed and tested for the services (Air Force and Navy). Their experience with the Army is via services work where our people have gained the expertise to be the right people for working with the Missile Defense Agency. After analyzing both the internal and external environment of Northrop, their competitors and the analysis of their financial position, Northrop has developed a sustainable competitive advantage. They have done this through the use of product differentiation. The value they receive, the knowledge they gain and patents they own by acquiring other companies expands their portfolio to offer products and services not comparable to their competitors. Their respective strategic position establishes a value to their customers that is differentiated amongst their competitors, allowing them to offer a higher premium for their products and
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation, single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). The result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter program, the aircraft was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but also has ground attack, electronic warfare, and signal intelligence capabilities.[6] The prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, built most of the F-22's airframe and weapons systems and did its final assembly, while Boeing provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training
The F-15 was introduced into the U.S. arsenal in 1976, just after the Vietnam War. And was developed, mainly to out pace the Soviet Union. Since its introduction, it has been improved upon many times, which has resulted in 5models (a-e). But throughout its long career, not even one F-15 has ever been shot down in combat.
Two challenges that defense contractors face, in developing and providing innovative new technologies to the military, are long term sustainability in the face of rapid technological development and the U.S. military’s material acquisition process. A defense contractor’s inability to reconcile these two challenges could put the U.S. military at risk of being constantly behind the technological curve, thus weakening its ability to compete with other technologically advanced countries.
Over 300,000 aircraft were built in a six-year period from 1940 through 1945 (Bogus, 2001). Some of these advancements changed the way modern aircraft are built to this day. A major advancement, and arguably the greatest, was that of the jet engine as opposed to the piston-engine and propeller. This, combined with many manufacturers replacing wood aircraft bodies with metal (Bogus, 2001) had a significant impact on the types of suppliers thriving during this time