Gates proposes end to F-22 funding

WASHINGTON, April 6 (UPI) -- The 2010 Pentagon budget proposal axes funding for the F-22 fighter jet -- costing about $140 million each -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday.

Gates announced the decision at a news conference. Although he said he conferred with military and civilian leaders at the Pentagon, Gates said the recommendations were his own and he received no guidance outside the department, The Hill reported.

The Pentagon will fund four of the radar-evading F-22s through the upcoming 2009 emergency war-spending request, the Washington publication said. The final F-22 of the 183 on order will be delivered at the end of 2011.

If approved, Gates said in a news release, his recommendations "will profoundly reform how this department does business."

Gates said his recommendations were drawn from experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, lessons learned during tenure as Defense chief and a career in national security.

"My decisions have been almost exclusively influenced by factors other than simply finding a way to balance the books or fit under the top line, as is normally the case with most budget exercises," he said. "Instead, these recommendations are the product of a holistic assessment of capabilities, requirements, risks and needs for the purpose of shifting this department in a different strategic direction."