Governor M. Jodi Rell today wrote the Connecticut Congressional delegation to say she looks forward to working with them all to preserve the F-22 Raptor fighter jet program, calling the multi-mission fighter aircraft a much-needed replacement for the aging F-15 and a vital project for Connecticut’s aerospace industry.
“In 2005, we put together ‘Team Connecticut’ and achieved what many people said couldn’t be done – we persuaded the Base Realignment and Closure Commission that it would be a mistake to close the U.S. Navy sub base in Groton,” Governor Rell said. “That team spirit is alive today and will serve us well now, because the arguments for the F-22 are the same: It’s the wrong decision for our national defense and the wrong decision for our economy.
“The F-15 Eagle has been a mainstay fighter for our nation for years,” the Governor said. “But over time, other nations have slowly developed aircraft that are able to compete with the Eagle, a fighter jet that entered service in 1989. In a recent article in Atlantic Monthly, U.S. Air Force Major Derek Routt – a pilot with the 65TH Aggressor Squadron, a unit trained to mimic the tactics of enemy air forces in war games – describes his experience against the F-22 this way: ‘You usually don’t see it until it’s done with you, flying overhead, rocking its wings, saying, “Thanks for playing, fellows.”’
“Of course, as our state continues to suffer the effects of a grave national recession, I am also deeply concerned about the impact of the F-22 decision on Connecticut’s vital aerospace industry,” Governor Rell said. “The Raptor is powered with engines from Pratt & Whitney and depends on avionics from Hamilton Sundstrand, two major employers in our state. Numerous smaller companies in the Connecticut aerospace supply chain also stand to be affected. Nor is Connecticut the only state likely to suffer – more than 40 states across the nation supply the Raptor program.”
In Connecticut alone, as many as 3,000 jobs could be lost from cancelation of the Raptor. Even if the Defense Department decides to ramp up production of another fighter jet – the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter – some time in the future, many of the assets and skills lost as a result of canceling the F-22 might never be recovered, Governor Rell said.
“It is clear that the F-22 is needed to keep our fighting forces at peak condition and clear that canceling the program now – in the midst of a deep national recession – would have potentially devastating, long-term effects on our ability to remain competitive,” Governor Rell said. “I look forward to working with the delegation to persuade Congress and the President that this is a mistake we cannot afford to make.”
The Governor noted in her letter that the recommendations made Monday by Defense Secretary Robert Gates did include some good news for Connecticut. The Pentagon did not propose any reduction in the rate of new construction for the Virginia-class submarines, currently being built at Groton-based Electric Boat. And the recommendation to cancel a recently awarded contract for a new version of Marine One – the helicopter that carries the President – means that Stratford-based Sikorsky will continue to benefit from servicing the current Marine One fleet.
“This is good news at a time when our state needs good news,” Governor Rell said. “However, it risks being overshadowed by the cloud that canceling the F-22 program would cast over all of Connecticut. Together, our members of Congress and I will work to prevent that.”
