The Air Force is negotiating with Lockheed Martin on the cost and pace of shutting down the F-22 production line, says David Van Buren, the service’s acquisition executive. During a June 18 media roundtable, Van Buren said the Air Force is conducting a “business case analysis” of what will be needed for F-22 sustainment (e.g., the availability of replacement wings) and hopes to have it concluded in the next few months. Until then, he said it’s premature to say how much shutting down the line will cost, or just how much F-22 tooling will be retained. Back in 2008, a RAND study estimated that shuttering the line for good would cost about $85 million. Van Buren noted that the Air Force recently conducted a similar line shutdown review with Boeing on the C-17, and that one went very well. (See also Closing Thoughts and Multiyear Shutdown from the Daily Report archives.)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.