The House Appropriations Committee voted 48-4 on Wednesday to pass a $675 billion defense spending bill that would authorize $9.4 billion in fiscal 2019 funds to purchase 93 Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighter jets, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday.
“To maintain air superiority we provide increases for key platforms such as the Joint Strike Fighters,†said Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), chairwoman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.
The proposed legislation would allocate $623 million in fiscal 2019 funds to support the U.S. Air Force’s Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System replacement program.
USNI News reported that the House measure includes a $22.7 billion budget for shipbuilding programs, including three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers (DDG-51), three Littoral Combat Ships and two Virginia-class attack submarines (SSN-774).
The appropriations bill would also allocate $1.9 billion in funds for 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft, $1.8 billion for 10 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes and $2.9 billion for the Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile program, the report added.
