10 Things You Didn't Know About the F-22 Raptor

Reader Comments
Back to article

The f-22 costs are bloated by the media and actual cost has been found to be in range of 280 million per fighter the F-35 has come to be about 180 mil per plane and not nearly capable of a dogfighter or stealthy as the F-22.

DABZNON of CA 4:49PM May 26, 2012

I agree 100% with what sc from AZ posted. To add something to it dk of CA, perhaps you should run your posts through a spellcheck and grammatical check before you go after Dave Weber about his errors.

Dan B of AZ 7:18PM August 10, 2009

As someone who has also read the U.S. Constitution and it's amendments (it's strongly encouraged in my profession), I certainly agree with you that President Obama has not sidestepped the U.S. Constitution, and it serves no one make accusations not based in fact as that tends to cloud the true issues. I also certainly agree that eight years of the preceeding administration's economic policies have been severely lacking to say the least, althought the root cause of the mortgage crisis which led to the global economic meltdown clearly originated in the Clinton era tampering with the banking industry to provide a veritable cornucopia of loan products to people who had no business getting a mortage. I just have two small issues concerning the accuracy of your public service announcement.
1) It is no accident that countries working under a free market economy have acheived a higher standard of living for each of their citizens than nations that do not. Furthermore, those nations that truly strive to get out of abject poverty do so through a free market more than any other system. History has shown that nations have tried to "spread the wealth" through socialist or communist ideologies, but only succeeded in spreading the poverty. I could debate this at length, but in the interest of space I'll just say the free market does need regulation, is not immune to abuse, but is still the best chance for the individual to provide for his or her own measure of success.
2) Socialism is defined as the Government controlling private industry, not as the Government providing services through taxpayer monies. The U.S. Armed Services, Postal Service, National Park Service, and public schools are not private industries, were not private industries, and defining them as such is grossly inaccurate. While private schools, delivery services, and even private militia, are known to have been present throughout history, they were predominately niche services not readily available to the largely poor general public. Health care, however, is currently a private industry, and would be considered socialized should the Government take it over. (At least you didn't mention public roads as an example of a socialist service. Every time I hear someone say it, I know the speaker is ignorant.)

sc from AZ of AZ 10:27PM August 09, 2009

I'm responding to your goofy post as a kind of public service announcement. I sincerely hope that you read this response, and at least reconsider your idiotic viewpoint. Based on your impeccable spelling skills, I'm assuming you probably haven't actually read the entirety of the U.S. Constitution and its myriad amendments. I have, however, and can tell you that the policies the OBAMA (please learn how to spell our President's last name) administration have enacted so far have not "gone against" any precepts or actual laws laid out or stemming from our Constitutional documents. President Obama stepped into office at the tail-end of eight years of absolute financial anarchy, based on the U.S. Treasury Department's penchant (under the last few administrations, including Clinton's) to hire up from the ranks of Goldman Sachs. Thus, we have a Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, and totality of Federal economic policy that essentially serves the investment banking community and the super rich. The idea, laid out by Ronald Reagan, is that the free market is an automatically self-regulating entity that will necessarily correct for inequity and instability. This is capitalist mythology, and it's been proven absolutely wrong time and again. While an economy based mostly on unregulated free markets does serve the interests of some people very well (the top 1% of earners, to be exact), it has done very poorly in serving the needs of the other 99%. The evidence is before you at this very moment Dave. It is not remotely possible for an administration seven months old to have caused this havoc. The current president and his advisors merely put some rusty brakes on the huge bus that is the American Economy to keep it from hurdling over the cliff. The question of "Where is the money" is irrelevant at this point, especially considering how the last administration blatantly stole from the poor to fill the coffers of the rich and then blamed terrorism for the whole mess. Well, I've got news for you and yours: You're on the wrong side of history. This goofball notion that anything "socialized" is anti-American, then you've already drank the Coolaid the right wing passed out during the last two election cycles, and I can only feel sorry for you. Here are just a few of the other horrible, taxpayer sponsored "socialist" ideas that have been implemented in our country since its founding:
1: The Postal Service (courtesy of that notorious commie: Benjamin Franklin)
2: The National Parks Service (courtesy of that evil pinko Theadore Roosevelt)
3: Public School Systems (first implemented in Dedham, MA in 1643!)
4: THE ARMED SERVICES (that's right Dave, YOU as a member of the United Stated Armed Services, benefit from what is essentially a PURELY SOCIALIST system. That is, it is 100% taxpayer funded, and entirely self-contained. You also enjoy the best public healthcare system available in the country)
Any questions? Try the library. LEARN SOMETHING.

dk of CA 4:27PM August 07, 2009

$65 Billion has been spent. 141 of these planes have been built to date.
The price goes down as the number of units go up. Right now they are only costing $138 million each. The next one built will cost a little less, such as $137 million. However, if they stop the program, as they have and later decide to build ten more, it will cost $207 million per plane. This is why it is important not to stop production until you fulfill what the military sees as their needs for the future.
The article doesn't fully explain how advanced this plane is... it is 5th generation, however, it is a magnitude more advanced than the 4th and even the 4.5th generation. It's like building a 2008 car whose maximum speed is 100 mph, and in 2009 building one that will go 10,000 mph. However, it is all about maneuverability. In actual tests it will kill any of our 4th generation fighters. In fact it will kill multiple 4th generation fighters at the same time. Imagine our enemy having aircraft that will singlehandedly destroy our 5 best aircraft attacking all at one time. This is how advanced this aircraft is. Of course one has to determine if this is what we need. Maybe we don't and clearly we will never know until it is possibly too late.
I will not rely on the Democrats opinion to sway my confidence that they are doing the right thing. I can only count on McCain (fighter pilot) that says it isn't needed. I can only assume there are other military tools unknown to the rest of us that has him convinced the money would be better placed elsewhere. I don't think this is as simple as, "We don't need to fight the Russians, so let's do away with the program."

Rob of TX 1:01AM August 07, 2009

I have been woundering where the money's comming from and now I know where part of it is comming form. Who will have to come up with the rest of the money. Did any one ever think of this, that the Governamnt is going aginst the constitution? There are certian laws that are being broken with all the governments fingers in so much and the fact of spending all this money. The feds are breaking the laws written in the constitution and no one has apposed them, wow Socialism is creepin in and People are so stupid that they are letting it happen. Too afraid to step up and say something? There has to be someone with some money to stand up to the feds and make them accountable for the breaking of the constitutional law set by our for fathers.
will not any one help the poor any more. Someone will have to pay for this presedents wild spending? If it will not be us directly it will be our kids or their kids. Where is the money comming from will there be more cutbacks in the military that will hinder our ability as a country like pres, Clintion when he cut the military? That hurt us as a nation. Well hear we go again. I am very up set with this administration, I have served my country for 16 years in the Army and Navy, I got out because I could not stomach the perdicted ignorance verbalised by Oboma.
What a wast blindly people Democrats have followed as sheep without thinking for them selves, what would happen to our country?
Socialism........ that is what is happening, I hope you all are pleased with your selves. I call it stupid as stupid does, and boy there is some stupid things going on.
We are being lead by someone that has no idea what his actions will do to up, and if he knows what will happen to us he will run this country in to the grave. Just remember America we will not be taken out as a nation from the out side we will be up rooted from the inside and Presedent Oboma will be our un-doing.
what a pitty, we had such a good start and now Oboma will be our end in the financial world. our money and financial situation in the world market will be runed due to this administration.
My last thought, but most improtant is Why will someone not stand up and make them accountable. poor people will remain poor with this admin.
what a waste.

Dave Weber of OR 12:00PM August 05, 2009

How many dollars have been spent on this program so far? How many of these planes do we have now that can fly today? How can you possibly have a range of cost "estimates" for these that varies from $143M to $350M ea?

Muser of NM 12:17PM August 04, 2009