Article from the Washington Free Beacon by Bill Gertz.

The Air Force lost several advanced F-22 stealth fighters that were damaged or destroyed during the hurricane that leveled Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida last week.

Air Force sources said 17 F-22s—one of the military’s most advanced stealth fighter jets—were unable to fly away to avoid the Category 4 storm and were damaged in hangars at the base that were not built to withstand major hurricanes.

Most of the stay-behind aircraft, including F-22s QF-16 target drones and Mu-2 aircraft trainers, sustained some damage and several were destroyed when Hurricane Michael came ashore near the base on the Oct. 10.

The jets cost around $150 million each, and when research and development costs of the F-22 over nearly 25 years since 1986 are factored in, the cost of the aircraft could be as high as $330 million.

Read the entire article at the Washington Free Beacon.