Contract OK'd for 60 new F-22A Raptors

Hatch hails vote; planes to be serviced at HAFB
By Suzanne StruglinskiDeseret Morning News
WASHINGTON — The government will be able to use a three-year contract to buy 60 new F-22A Raptors, which would be serviced at Hill Air Force Base, thanks to an amendment approved Thursday by the Senate. Entering into a multiyear contract changes the normal annual procurement the government follows, and supporters say buying the planes in bulk will help save taxpayers up to $335 million. The Senate approved the change 70-28. Utah' Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, both Republicans, co-sponsored and voted in favor of the amendment. Hill maintains the planes. "It's common sense that you shouldn't pay more for an acquisition than you have to," Hatch said. "Everyone agrees that the Air Force should have these 60 Raptors, and we'll save millions by buying in bulk now." Hatch said the additional planes will bring more jobs to Hill Air Force Base. "The Air Force knows that when they want a job done right, they need to come to Utah," Hatch said in a statement. "For depot maintenance, no one comes close to Hill."

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., offered the amendment. Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the plane, has a final assembly plant Georgia. The Air Force has committed to buying 122 planes. So far, 72 planes have been delivered, according to Lockheed Martin. "This is not about spending money, it's about saving money, and it's about good acquisition practices and policy," Chambliss said on the Senate floor. He said the savings could be reallocated to other programs in the Defense Department or returned to the taxpayers. He said the government knows it is going to buy the 60 planes over the next three years but the question is how it will buy the planes. He said he expects a high standard for a multiyear contract and that this contract would save the same amount of money as other multiyear contracts Congress has approved in the past. The Government Accountability Office came out with a report Tuesday saying "the Air Force has not demonstrated the need or value for making further investments in the F-22A program" and suggested delaying any further purchase of planes. It estimated the multiyear contract would cost $1.724 billion. Chambliss said the GAO report contains "frankly false factual information" and said the multiyear contract satisfies the requirements needed to be approved. Opponents, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., said it was not the right time to enter into multiyear contracts.
E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com