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.)
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
