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Post by Admin on Mar 21, 2024 17:24:41 GMT -5
Wired F-22 Program analysis. [/a
Note; This was BEFORE, several were severely damaged on the ground in that hurricane.
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Haters cite "unit cost," which includes development and production spending divided by the number of jets built. F-22 production and development, including currently approved upgrades, totals $74 billion, resulting in a unit cost of $377 million.
And just because the last Raptor left the Marietta factory doesn't mean the unit cost is fixed at $377 million. If the Air Force ever gets around to adding a long-planned-for datalink, the unit cost could increase slightly. Tweaks to prevent future groundings -- like those that occurred this year -- would also push the unit cost up.
By contrast, the F-35's unit cost should stabilize at around $157 million, owing to a massive 2,443-plane production run. That's assuming the Joint Strike Fighter doesn't get canceled or curtailed following revelations of new design flaws.
There's a third way to calculate the F-22's burden on the taxpayer. "Lifecycle cost" adds up the price of fuel, spare parts and maintenance during the jet's projected 40-year lifespan. The Government Accountability Office estimates it will cost $59 billion to fix and fly the F-22s until they retire. If you add unit cost and per-plane lifecycle cost, you get the total amount the United States spends to design, produce and operate a single Raptor: a whopping $678 million.
F-35 lifecycle plus unit cost, assuming nothing else goes wrong? $469 million, according to Air Force figures quoted by the GAO.
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