Senate committee OKs Boeing F/A-18 fighter jet funding

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved funding Thursday for an additional nine F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets from Boeing Co.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said she lobbied for the restoration of nine F/A-18 aircraft that had been cut from the budget by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, increasing the authorization for F/A-18 purchases from 31 to 40.

The committee also included language highlighting the need for the Defense Department to enter into a multiyear procurement deal on the F/A-18 fighter jet.

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