Last Marietta-made F-22 Raptor complete Dec. 12.

The final Lockheed Martin Corp. Latest from The Business Journals Lockheed Martin lands B F-35 orderLockheed Martin building satellite for NewSat of AustraliaBizarre business news of the week Follow this company F-22 Raptor stealth fighter will come off the line at the defense contractor’s Marietta, Ga., plant on Dec. 13.

Check Atlanta Business Chronicle tomorrow for a slideshow of the final Raptor’s roll out.

The jet took its maiden flight in Marietta in September 1997 and production went into full swing. But its high cost and changes in military requirements for post-Cold War challenges brought down the F-22. In 2009, the U.S. government officially killed production of the jet. The final Raptor will be delivered to the U.S. Air Force    U.S. Air Force Latest from The Business Journals IT company thrives with VA workLaura Ryan, time minderSnow Aviation owner pledges to rise again even as assets auctioned off Follow this company in 2012 and completes the operational F-22 fleet, which totals 187, according to Lockheed.

Lockheed’s (NYSE: LMT) Aeronautics division employs about 2,000 people on the F-22 program at its Cobb County facility.

The Air Force had planned to order 20 Raptors in 2010 and 40 more in coming years before the U.S. Department of Defense    U.S. Department of Defense Latest from The Business Journals Air Force buys Boeing's biggest bunker-busting bomb everAir Force buys Boeing's biggest bunker-busting bomb everBoeing wins phase II for DOD laser contract Follow this company decided in April 2009 to order no more. The DOD ordered 187 Raptors in total over the life of the program, some of which are still being built.

Widely acknowledged as the most capable fighter aircraft in the world, the $150 million F-22 has been under fire for years for bleeding away money needed elsewhere. George W. Bush’s administration wanted to kill it, but was overruled by Congress and by the U.S. Air Force, which wanted more of the aircraft. The Air Force originally wanted 750 F-22s.

While the aircraft is stealthy and can cruise at supersonic speeds, its high cost raised questions about whether it’s the proper allocation of increasingly limited government resources, especially in a recession.


Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle - 13 December 2011 (www.bizjournals.com)

Photo: The last F-22 on the assembly line at Lockheed Martin's Marietta facility. (Photo by Lockheed Martin)

(13.12.2011)