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Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The F/A-22 Raptor and Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)--two of the Department of Defense's (DOD) major tactical aircraft fighter programs--are intended to replace aging tactical fighter aircraft with highly advanced, stealthy aircraft. The two programs combined have a potential future investment of more than $240 billion. This testimony highlights key concerns in the F/A-22 and JSF programs and discusses the implications on DOD's overall investment strategy for modernizing its tactical fixed-wing aircraft. Last month, GAO issued comprehensive reports on the numerous setbacks these programs have experienced since they were initiated and their effect on the F/A- 22 and JSF business cases."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The F/A-22 and Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)--two of the Department of Defense's (DOD) major tactical aircraft fighter programs--are intended to replace aging tactical fighter aircraft with highly advanced, stealthy aircraft. The two programs combined have a potential future investment of more than $240 billion. Later this month, GAO plans to issue comprehensive reports on the numerous setbacks each of these programs has experienced since they were initiated and their effect on the F/A-22 and JSF business cases. This testimony highlights key concerns in the F/A-22 and JSF programs and discusses the implications of these concerns on DOD's overall investment strategy for modernizing its tactical fixed wing aircraft."

This report includes discussion of congressional issues regarding tactical aircraft modernization. Major tactical aircraft programs, affordability, and service roles are among topics discussed in this report.

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Air Force is developing the F/A-22 aircraft to replace its fleet of F-15 air superiority aircraft. The F/A-22 is designed to be superior to the F-15 by being capable of flying at higher speeds for longer distances, less detectable, and able to provide the pilot with substantially improved awareness of the surrounding situation. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 requires us to annually assess the F/A-22 development program and determine whether the program is meeting key performance, schedule, and cost goals. We have issued six of these annual reports to Congress. We have also reported on F/A-22 production program costs over the last 3 years. Most recently, we reported on F/A-22 production and development in February and March 2003 respectively. This testimony summarizes our work on the F/A-22 program, covering performance, cost, and scheduling issues."

This report includes information regarding congressional issues involving tactical aircraft modernization. Tactical aircraft in the United States Military, tactical aircraft programs, and issues regarding affordability are among various topics discussed in this report.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The F-22A--the Air Force's next generation air superiority fighter aircraft--incorporates a low observable (stealth) and highly maneuverable airframe, advanced integrated avionics, and a new engine capable of sustained supersonic flight without the use of afterburners. The F-22A acquisition history is a case study in increased cost and schedule inefficiency. Since the program's inception in 1986, the Air Force has added new requirements, more than doubled the length of the acquisition schedule, cut purchase quantities by more than 75 percent, and increased total acquisition unit costs by more than 100 percent. The F-22A program's significant cost and schedule growth is illustrative of a number of systemic problems in the Department of Defense's (DOD) major weapon system acquisitions. Currently, DOD is proposing to buy the remaining 60 F-22As under a 3-year contract. At the Congress's request, GAO was asked for its views on DOD's latest plan to restructure the program and on the Air Force's request for authority to enter into a multiyear contract to implement this restructuring."