The Pentagon is planning sharp cuts in the Air Force's program for its new F/A-22 fighter jet in a move budget analysts said was intended to offset mounting U.S. deficits and the growing costs of the Iraq war, Wednesday's New York Times reported.
The newspaper said the Pentagon's decision, which four administration and Congressional officials described on Tuesday and which Congress must still approve, comes as the Bush administration is pressing all agencies to scale back spending requests for the fiscal year 2006 budget, which will be submitted to lawmakers early next year.
The U.S. Air Force has estimated the total F/A-22 acquisition program for 277 planes will run about $72 billion, making it the most expensive fighter jet in history. The aircraft, known as the Raptor, is due to enter service in December 2005.
Dennis Boxx, a spokesman for the plane's manufacturer and the nation's largest military contractor, Lockheed Martin Corp. , said the company had not been notified of any changes in the program's status.
The Times said the Pentagon had told the White House and Congress about the planned cuts, although senior Pentagon and Air Force officials were still discussing details.
The newspaper quoted leading industry analyst Loren Thompson as saying the program could be ended after producing about 160 aircraft. He said the proposed cuts reflected "the convergence of severe budgetary pressures imposed by the Iraq war with some long-standing preferences among senior policymakers for less emphasis on conventional weapons programs."
Defense Department spokesman Eric Ruff declined to discuss any specific decisions on the Raptor program, the paper reported, but said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had spoken with lawmakers in recent days "to discuss long-term modifications to the tactical fighter programs."
Ruff said the Pentagon's proposals ensured that the F/A-22 and another aviation priority, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, "would remain healthy."
