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 Forbes released a December 4 letter to Hagel in which he raised
concerns about the fighter industrial base and warned about relying
solely on the next-generation F-35C fighter jet being developed by
Lockheed Martin Corp since it will not be ready for operational use
on an aircraft carrier until 2019.
"The risk to U.S. national security and the health of our aviation
industrial base of relying on only one tactical aircraft supply line
is simply too great to allow the line to close," Forbes said in the
letter.
The lawmaker's warning comes amid a concerted push by Boeing for
additional U.S. and foreign orders for its popular F/A-18 Super
Hornet and the EA-18G Growler electronic attack plane based on the
same airframe to keep production going.
Boeing executives say they see good prospects for additional F/A-18
orders from the U.S. Navy, Canada, Australia, Denmark and several
other countries, and they plan to continue investing in the fighter
line.
Dennis Muilenburg, head of Boeing's defense business, last month
said the company must decide soon whether to self fund certain
long-lead procurement items to extend the line beyond 2016, but he
did not expect a decision to shut the line.
U.S. Navy officials say they would like to buy more F/A-18s and are
exploring options to do so but caution that there is no funding for
any such purchases at this point. The timing of any new foreign
orders also remains unclear.
Forbes said the Pentagon should maintain F/A-18 production in St.
Louis, Missouri to safeguard the industrial base and ensure
competition. Shutting the line, he warned, would eliminate "vital
competition that could result in spiraling costs, leading to more
expensive, less capable systems."
It would also eliminate competition among suppliers, including
companies that build aircraft radar and engines.
Forbes urged Hagel to ensure continued competition in the fighter
jet market, just as it has done in shipbuilding and submarine
industries.
A Navy official, speaking on background, said the service would
"very much like" to order more F/A-18 or EA-18G aircraft, but there
was no funding available at the moment.
"The F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler bring unique, proven
and exceptional warfighting capability to the Navy and joint
forces," said the official, who was not authorized to speak on the
record. "The Navy continues to closely monitor the production lines
and evaluate options to meet our strike fighter requirements."
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POTENTIAL ORDER NOTICE WITHDRAWN
Richard Gilpin, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for air
programs, told Reuters last month the Navy was looking at options
for buying more F/A-18 jets, but no decisions had been made. U.S.
officials are also talking with foreign buyers about orders that
could extend production.
The Navy in October flagged a possible order of up to 36 more F/A-18
fighters or EA-18G electronic attack planes in fiscal 2015, but
later withdrew the notice on federal procurement website since there
is no funding for more planes.
Navy officials say their talks about possible additional purchases
of the Boeing fighter do not reflect any wavering of their
commitment to the Lockheed F-35 program, since both fighter jets are
intended to operate together for decades.
But some F-35 backers worry that the Navy's proposal to deal with
across-the-board spending cuts required under sequestration by
pausing production of the F-35 C-model for two years could unravel
that part of the F-35 program, especially if the Navy continues to
buy Boeing jets in the meantime.
A two-year delay in order could push pack initial use of the F-35C
until 2021, said one former Navy official. "At some point, depending
on how the F-35 carrier variant and unmanned planes come along, they
may just not need the F-35C anymore."
The $392 billion F-35 JSF, the Pentagon's biggest arms program, has
seen a 70 percent increase in costs over initial estimates and
repeated schedule delays, but U.S. officials say the program has
made progress in recent years.
 ___
(See
interview with F-35 program chief)
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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