This discussion on Information Dissemination sheds the light.
First Galrahn (author of the article)...
Joint Strike Fighter is an acquisition tragedy. The estimate for the per unit F-35 is only $25 million more than the F-22, and that is before a single F-35 is operational. This program is also part of Secretary Gates legacy, and it isn't pretty.
Then the rest of the comments...
The R&D costs for the F-22 are now sunk costs, while the current marginal unit cost for additional F-22 airframes is reputed to be roughly $160 million.
Someone please correct me on that last figure for the F-22's marginal unit cost, if you have updated information.
Someone please correct me on that last figure for the F-22's marginal unit cost, if you have updated information.
IF I understand the SARS Cost Summary, it says the increase in LHA-6 was due to an increase from two to three hulls (not necessarily the wet well). Last fulll report pointed to these issues:
ReplyDeleteOther Program Issues
The LHA 6 is likely to experience further cost
growth. Costly postdelivery rework of the ship’s deck may be necessary to cope with the intense, hot downwash of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The heat from these aircraft could warp the LHA 6 deck or damage deck equipment. The Navy is planning to conduct aircraft tests on the LHD 1 during the fall of
2010, and will then determine whether the LHA 6
and other Joint Strike Fighter-capable ships need to modify their flight decks. The program office does not expect the Navy to finalize a solution for the LHA 6 prior to ship delivery, which could lead to expensive rework on the new ship if the deck surface has to be modified.
When are you gonna present the facts to support the F-35?
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ReplyDeleteAlot of the confusion comes from different number at different points being thrown around by politicians and other officials.
ReplyDeleteFor example, with this:
Scott Brim, USAF Partisan
The R&D costs for the F-22 are now sunk costs, while the current marginal unit cost for additional F-22 airframes is reputed to be roughly $160 million.
Someone please correct me on that last figure for the F-22's marginal unit cost, if you have updated information.
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What Scott is refering to is that as a matter of accounting setup costs, R&D costs, tooling costs... has already been absorbed by all the currently existing F-22's that means those costs won't factor into the cost to purchase additional F-22s. It only costs ~$160M to make new F-22s because you have alot of costs that you pay regardless of the number of planes produced. Those have already been captured and paid for by the existing planes... those production cost were half the cost of each of the current planes... this is how costs per unit comes down the greater the number of anything is purchased.
F35 is still cheaper, it just has more outstanding costs. What's happend is that the additional R&D of the F35 is slowly pushing its total production cost and cost per unit higher to the point where the cost per unit of a F35 is close to that of a new F22. The F22 simply has the accounting advantage of having its fixed costs paid for, leaving only the variable costs of material and overhead of labor.
@Jeffrey: If only the politicians could see that we might have got more F-22s. :-(
ReplyDeleteI still think the F35 is a worthwhile program, I just think the F22 was also worthwhile and deserved more purchases. It never should have been one at the expense of the other.
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