During the bidding for the project to build engines for F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, the government alleges that Pratt & Whitney made false claims regarding the cost of the production of the engines in order to win the contract. At the time of the contract competition, Pratt & Whitney’s major competitor was General Electric. In the end the companies split the $7 billion contract for the construction of the engines.

“Some companies go to great lengths to defraud the government. Often, the only way that these instances of cheating American taxpayers are exposed and prosecuted is by the courageous efforts of whistleblowers to come forward and expose the fraudulent activity,” commented Christopher Paulos, an attorney with the Levin, Papantonio law firm who handles whistleblower and false claims litigation.

United Technologies Corporation disputes the court’s recent decision and plans to appeal. “We strongly disagree with the court’s opinion concerning the Fighter Engine Campaign from the 1980s,” Ian Race said on behalf of UTC.

In the initial lawsuit, the government sought $75 million plus interest and other damages. Throughout the course of the appellate and litigation process, that amount has steadily risen.

Despite the prior misrepresentation, Pratt & Whitney is contracted to produce the engine for the F-35 fighter jet. As of yesterday, the company announced that it had delivered its 100th engine in the series.

Joshua is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire.

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Of the world’s top 10 ordnance companies, the United States nearly monopolized the group by having seven of the 10 highest producing ordnance companies. The U.S. accumulated sales of ordnance nearly doubled those of the other countries in 2012; $237 billion compared to $120 billion.

The United States accounted for 44 percent of all world arms sales and from 2004 – 2011, U.S. arms sales to developing countries weren’t even grazed by other countries’ sales. The U.S. sold $151 billion to developing countries, and the very distant second? Russia selling only $79 billion.

The American arms industry also carries a significantly large amount of political influence on Capitol Hill. Just last year, defense companies spent over $130 million on lobbyists. William Hartung, a contributor to the World Policy Journal noted of the few years after Bush’s election in 2000 that “these have been boom years for the arms industry, with contracts for the top ten weapons contractors up 75 percent in the first three years of the Bush administration alone.”

The headlines are peppered with stories about the cash harbored and influence held by Big Pharma and Wall Street. The arms industry is America’s silent cash cow, looked over, silently contributing massive donations to campaigns, spending millions on lobbyists, and funding violence and war. As the saying goes, “war is business and business is good.”

Joshua de Leon is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire.

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