Did the Air Force Dash Hopes for Building More F-22s?

[rangerrebew]

 Did the Air Force Dash Hopes for Building More F-22s?
 
Military.com | 26 Mar 2017 | by Oriana Pawlyk

When the F-22 Raptor production line ceased in 2011, Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel thought the Pentagon had made a huge mistake.

He was driving in his car in 2009 when he found out "the Raptor fleet is done at 187, and I remember thinking, 'This is not great.' I thought it was an error."

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/03/26/did-the-air-force-dash-its-hopes-for-building-more-f-22s.html

[geronl]

The ability to build more probably passed years ago

[Joe Wooten]

The ability to build more probably passed years ago

Not really. Lockmart was keeping the tooling stored and ready to resume production.

[thackney]

Not really. Lockmart was keeping the tooling stored and ready to resume production.

The F-22 Raptor: Back From the Grave?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-07/the-f-22-raptor-back-from-the-grave
June 7, 2016

A 2010 Rand Corp. study (PDF) on the F-22 shutdown calculated that restarting production for just 75 more jets would cost $17 billion, or about $227 million per copy.

- - - - - - - -

Want More F-22s? Here’s What That Would Take
http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2016/04/want-more-f-22s-heres-what-would-take/127729/
APRIL 22, 2016

Two years before Lockheed shuttered the F-22’s final assembly line, a RAND study calculate that restarting production to build 75 new jets would cost $17 billion. Adjust for inflation and boost production to 194 Raptors, and the total price tag likely approaches $30 billion.

[endicom]

Probably better to start on an F-32, something without an Earl Scheib paint job.