Dale Bumpers: “the Air Force is in the process of buying by far the most expensive fighter plane the United States has ever bought by a…”

“the Air Force is in the process of buying by far the most expensive fighter plane the United States has ever bought by a magnitude of 300 percent, to be precise. And that is if we can build it at today's estimated cost. I have not made any bones about the fact that I don't think we need the F-22, but we are going to get it. I lost the battle to terminate the program, I admit. But if we are going to spend $62 to $100 billion for 339 airplanes, we at least ought to fly that sucker before we buy it. And therein lies the problem. My staff found--the distinguished Presiding Officer will find this interesting--a copy of an article from the January 9, 1989, Atlanta Constitution. The Presiding Officer is familiar with that newspaper. And the headline is ``The B-2: Fly Before You Buy.'' How many times have my colleagues heard that term, ``fly before you buy''? No less than a thousand. My colleague, Senator Pryor, used to screech to the roof of this Chamber about buying weapons before they have been tested. Let me begin with a little history of the F-22.”