The Air Force's next-generation stealth fighter, the F/A-22, is in big trouble. So the service is looking to the Super Bowl to save the jet.
The Pentagon's proposed budget for next year calls for a cut of $15.5 billion in funds for the so-called "Raptor," trimming the fleet of F/A-22s from 277 planes to 180.
In response, the Air Force brass is mounting a major league PR campaign for the fighter. Last month, Air Force chief of staff John Jumper flew a Raptor over Florida at nearly Mach 2, to show the plane off. Now, the Project on Government Oversight notes, a pair of the jets will buzz by Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium during the Super Bowl festivities.
"We are enthusiastic to showcase the air dominance capabilities of the F/A-22, and the Super Bowl is the perfect venue to do so," Brig. Gen. Jack Egginton, commander of the 325th Fighter Wing, tells the AP.
Go Iggles!
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