A Wall Street Journal editorial provides a cogent analysis of the situation facing the nation—not just the Air Force—with the extended grounding of the F-15 Eagle fleet. In discussion of the potential increase in orders for F-22s, the WSJ’s bottom line: “We think it’s an investment worth making.” But isn’t it too expensive? No, says WSJ, noting that oft publicized dollar figures include R&D costs and declaring, “We have a long way to go before any weapons systems is more than the US can really afford.” There is no way to predict what adversaries of the future will field, but expensive and highly advanced systems are possible. WSJ concludes, “Replacing our faltering Eagles with additional Raptors may be expensive, but allowing our neglect to be exploited by those who wish us harm would be ruinous.” Well said.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
