The decision to end the F-22 Raptor program prematurely—building only 195 out of a planned 381 airframes—remains controversial. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates halted production in 2009, citing the ...
The high cost of the NGAD program—$300 million per airframe, more than three times the F-35’s cost per plane—has put it on shaky ground. Initially touted as the next generation in U.S. air combat ...