Washington, Feb 18, SPA -- The U.S. Air Force will purchase more F-22 fighter jets than the 183 it has ordered so far, but fewer than it had hoped for, the Air Force chief of staff said Tuesday. General Norton Schwartz said the Air Force will soon present its plan to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has expressed concern that the expensive fighter aircraft are not necessary. Schwartz said the plan called for “less than 381” F-22s, the number the Air Force has long wanted to purchase. Schwartz would not say how many additional fighters the Air Force now wants to buy, but he said he would not dispute a number of 60 suggested in December by Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gates and Mullen have warned that the current economic crisis will present the military with difficult choices on major weapons programs, several of which have seen cost overruns and delays. Including development costs, each F-22 costs $350 million. Designed during the Cold War, the Lockheed Martin-built fighter has been criticized as unsuitable for the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the Air Force says the jet is necessary for potential conventional conflicts in the future with technologically advanced countries.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/636737