Fighter Jet News
F-16 Fighting Falcon News
Lockheed's F-16 gets the cold shoulder in Clinton's arms budget
February 1, 1998 (by
Lieven Dewitte) -
The Clinton administration released today a $257 billion defense budget for fiscal 1999 that would boost production of the Bell-Boeing V-22Osprey, but contains no orders for Lockheed Martin's F-16 fighter.
F-16 Fighting Falcon, built in Fort Worth by Lockheed Martin. Budget:$125 million for development work, but no planes ordered. The spending plan, which the Pentagon released for publication today, will be debated by both houses of Congress for the next nine months as they craft their own defense budget bills.
The Pentagon plan is generally used as a guide by lawmakers, but in recent years the Republican-controlled House has beefed up the budget plan. The administration would hold down the total budget, in part, by not ordering some aging aircraft, including the Fort Worth-made F-16 and theF-15, a fighter produced by Boeing in St. Louis.
The F-16 was excluded from the Clinton budget last year, but Congress added three of the planes to the budget. A high-ranking Air Force official said the service has no need for moreF-15s, but he acknowledged that it expects a shortfall of 24 F-16s by 2000. "Clearly, we're going to need more F-16s sooner or later, and we would hope that would come sooner, " said the official, who requested anonymity.
The Pentagon plan is generally used as a guide by lawmakers, but in recent years the Republican-controlled House has beefed up the budget plan. The administration would hold down the total budget, in part, by not ordering some aging aircraft, including the Fort Worth-made F-16 and theF-15, a fighter produced by Boeing in St. Louis.
The F-16 was excluded from the Clinton budget last year, but Congress added three of the planes to the budget. A high-ranking Air Force official said the service has no need for moreF-15s, but he acknowledged that it expects a shortfall of 24 F-16s by 2000. "Clearly, we're going to need more F-16s sooner or later, and we would hope that would come sooner, " said the official, who requested anonymity.
Related articles:
Tags
Tags