39. Production Of The F-22 Ended In 2011
During the 2000s, some in the U.S. Department of Defense continuously questioned the need and the cost of the F-22 Raptors. In April 2009, the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called for the termination of the F-22 Raptor production in FY 2011. General James Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained the decision to the Senate Committee stating that the reason for the termination came from the need to maintain the F/A-18 production as well as the movement of resources to the F-35. The final F-22 was completed in December 2011.