F-22 Potential Cancellation Affects Jobs in Connecticut

MSNBC reports that Lockheed Martin and United Technologies (UT) are warning the people of Connecticut that the end of the F-22 program will have a severe effect on the state’s economy. UT has just announced cuts to its entire world wide work force with some in Connecticut. Ending the advanced fighter jet would lay off some thousand more. Connecticut is dependent on military spending for a great deal of its advanced manufacturing. Sikorsky which is a part of UT makes UH-60 and CH-53 helicopters there. As with any large production program like the F-22 cuts in quantities or just ending it will have an affect on somebody’s local economy. The money might be spent on another program creating work somewhere else, but Congress is loathe to look at things that way. There are already stories of Virginia fighting for aircraft carrier construction, Maine for destroyers and Alabama for missile defense. This is why it is hard to end a program. To many legislators have a vested interest in keeping them going. The F-22 is a program that seems easy to end as it is near the end of its planned quantity but without the JSF being ready for full rate production there will be a gap with no major aircraft production. There will be places hurt economically due to this and Congress will see the easiest way is to build a few more aircraft. It demonstrates why it is so hard to cancel a program and also to spend the budget effectively.