La facture pour le F-22 Raptor: $228 million

Source: http://corrdefense.nace.org/corrdefense_spring_2011/top_story1.asp#issues

… The F-22 Raptor’s corrosion problems could have been anticipated. “For example, according to Military Standard 889, the galvanic dissimilarity of the materials used on the F-22 is at a high enough level to indicate extreme risk for corrosion. Fortunately, the F-35 program office benefited from the Air Force and Navy’s awareness of this and other problems on the F-22. The F-35 program office adopted more stringent corrosion testing and pushed for a more maintainable design.” He added that while the F-35 program has benefited from a greater awareness of corrosion issues, the program still faces problems involving the lack of material compatibility and competing design criteria, which require ongoing attention …

Costly corrosion problems on the F-22 caused by stealth materials and coatings have been addressed on the F-35, but risks remain, concludes a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

La Cour des Comptes US (GAO) déclare:
The GAO’s presentation to Congress on its review of the DoD’s corrosion evaluation report on the F-22 and F-35, completed at the end of September, says:

« Corrosion of the aluminum skin panels on the F-22 was first observed in spring 2005, less than 6 months after the Air Force first introduced the aircraft to a severe environment. By October 2007, a total of 534 instances of corrosion were documented, and corrosion in the substructure was becoming prevalent. For corrosion damage identified to date, the government is paying $228 million to make F-22 corrosion-related repairs and retrofits through 2016. »