On a tour yesterday of the Lockheed Martin assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates fired a warning shot at Congress, saying President Barack Obama would veto a $680 billion defense spending bill if legislators tried to slip in funds for a second F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engine.
"We have looked at the business case a number of times in terms of an alternative engine," Gates said. "The general conclusion is that it would cost several billion dollars in addition ... And so at this point, where we're trying to count every dollar and where a dollar from one program -- added to one program takes away from another program that we think is more important, we feel strongly about the fact that there is not a need for a second engine."
To make things clear, Gates added: "The Hill has been informed that the president's advisers would recommend a veto if that's in the bill."
As part of an overhaul of the Pentagon’s arsenal, Gates (shown here visiting a production facility for the MC-12 Liberty surveillance plane) has taken aim at several programs prized by legislators, including the futuristic F-22 stealth fighter. The F-35 is supposed to be a cheaper plane -- although at $100 million a pop, they will still be pricey -- but Congress has tried to force the Pentagon to buy a second engine for the aircraft. Building a second engine will add to the F-35's overall price tag, but it also means more defense dollars can be spread around congressional districts.
That, at least, is the shorthand version of the F-35 story. The engine debate actually goes back more than a decade, and in aerospace-geek circles, they are still arguing over whether or not there was a proper competition for the JSF engine. Over at Ares, Bill Sweetman cuts to the chase: "In a technical sense, it doesn't matter - what should be important is whether the long-term benefits of a second engine are worth its current and future cost," he writes. "Politically, it's another kettle of fish."
[PHOTO: U.S. Department of Defense]
See Also:
- F-22 Soars on Twitter After Senate Vote
- Blogger: America 'Less Safe' Without More F-22s
- Whistleblower Alleges 'Major Shortcomings' in Stealth Jet
- Gates: F-22 Has No Role in War on Terror
- $337 Billion Stealth Jet Not So Stealthy: Report
- Report: Two-Year Delay for Joint Strike Fighter (Updated)
- F-35 Chief: Boeing 'Pissing Us Off'
- Can It Be? F-35 Fighter Gets Cheaper?
