Despite efforts by Congress to control the cost of a antiquated jet fighter program that has already suffered from more than $19 billion is cost overruns, government watchdogs have found the program is continuing to go through money faster than Imelda Marcos in a Nordstrom's shoe department.

The F/A-22 Raptor is a costly Cold War relic that was initially designed to deeply penetrate Soviet airspace by avoiding radar and traveling at supersonic speed. Without even taking all of the cost and production problems into consideration, it seems as though someone forgot to tell the F/A-22's biggest supporters that the Cold War is over and there really is no country that comes close to competing with our nation's air superiority. The F-15, the plane the F/A-22 is supposed to replace, is one-sixth the cost, and is the most capable fighter jet on the planet.

With several congressional committees currently conducting investigations of the F/A-22 fighter jet, there is increasing evidence that it's time to send this bloated program out to pasture. The General Accounting Office (GAO) recently found $1.3 billion in undocumented cost overruns to add to the $17.7 billion already flushed down the drain.

Unfortunately, all previous congressional attempts to curtail spending have backfired. In 1997, with Air Force consent, Congress capped production costs at $37 billion, enough to buy 438 aircraft. The cap has not only failed to contain costs – now estimated at $42 billion – but it's resulted in an even lower return on the taxpayers' investment. The Air Force has embraced a buy-to-budget approach – get as many planes as you can for whatever Congress gives you – and $37 billion will now only get us 225 aircraft.

In addition to cost overruns, the project is far behind schedule due to problems with the aircraft's advanced avionics, tail fin stability, and several other safety and performance items. In an effort to address the schedule delays, the Air Force has thrown their decades old “fly before you buy” policy out the window by beginning to produce the planes before ironing out all the design problems. Roughly 25 percent of the F/A-22s will be delivered before the completion of testing, a sure recipe for even more cost overruns.

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It's a sweet deal for Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor, as they'll get paid the same amount no matter what happens. It's also fine by many lawmakers, who like the pork – Lockheed makes parts for the F/A-22 in 48 states, an important part of their lobbying strategy. However, taxpayers will be stuck with an astronomical bill for fewer planes that aren't even designed to meet modern-day military needs.

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