Posted on 10/27/2023 6:12:14 AM PDT by Fish Speaker
WASHINGTON — The flyaway cost for the F-15EX Eagle II is approximately $90 million for each aircraft in the program’s second production lot, about $7.5 million more than the newest price for an F-35A, Breaking Defense has learned.
The Air Force has confirmed to Breaking Defense that a contract for the next three production lots of the Boeing-made F-15EX was finalized on Sept. 28, a major milestone for the program. But the $90 million per unit cost in the contract — a number that is expected to grow in successive lots — will likely raise eyebrows among critics both within and outside the service who argue that officials should focus on buying more F-35s.
Under the new agreement, the price for an F-15EX will start at “approximately” $90 million for lot 2, rise to $97 million in lot 3 and then dip to $94 million in lot 4, according to an Air Force spokesperson. The two parties previously finalized a deal for the aircraft’s first lot in November 2022, setting a flyaway price of $80.5 million for six jets with two test aircraft already purchased — meaning the costs on the F-15EX are going up per unit year over year until the fourth lot is introduced. (The Air Force measures flyaway price in then-year dollars, which are adjusted for inflation.)
As a cost comparison, F-35 Joint Program Office spokesman Russ Goemaere told Breaking Defense that the Air Force’s variant of the stealth fighter has an “average” flyaway cost of $82.5 million for the jet’s 15th, 16th and 17th production lots, which will be delivered in calendar years 2023, 2024 and 2025.
(Excerpt) Read more at breakingdefense.com ...
Well, to be fair, the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C air frames are so different that they are different air frames with only a small degree of commonality between air frame parts, but there is a larger degree of commonality among other parts.
“It makes sense to have separate airframes for different missions rather than try to force one airframe to do every mission.”
What are you, some kind of radical? According to Japanese culture, it is more efficient to build 2000 identical aircraft that suck at everything, than to build 500 each of 4 types that are good at everything.
If you need further details, I suggest you get a Harvard MBA, you know, like the guys running our military have.
That just fills me with confidence that the taxpayer has gotten the best bargain possible.
Don’t worry, Boeing will ensure their diversity hires are employed.
Their VTOL plant is right outside Chester, PA. Lots of melanin there…
Except it makes no sense whatsoever to buy new, non-stealth fighter/attack aircraft.
None.
An F-35 could fly the entire length of the Ukraine front and get back home safely. An F-15 would be shot down in the first 50 miles.
Who is Biden’s inside man?
When the 737Max problems first hit the news, I browsed thru Boeing’s web site. It was full of happy DEI horse apples. While correlation is not causation, . . .
Uh it is. They still cannot do software. There are government standards on software which Boeing follows and the government pays for. Musk, who grew up coding, does other things instead. His software is a lot cheaper and works. He could get paid a lot more doing what he is told and producing stuff that is worthless.
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