It’s the lifetime cost of all operational and support equipment. So not just the price of a “new car”, but the cost of all maintenance, tires, oil changes, car washes, fuel, storage, insurance, all paid up-front.
Not to justify it, but contextualize it. The cost is indeed crazy.
Here’s what the official government news releases say:
$19 billion for 88 F-35s = $216 million each - source
$2.5 billion for 11 Reapers = $227 million each source
… so I don’t think you’re right.
Edit: This CBC article quotes an unnamed “senior defence official” as saying the first four F-35s we purchased cost $85 million per plane, whereas the numbers quoted in the press releases above are the all-in costs including all the “sustainment set-up and services” such as ground control centers, training, etc. So without being an expert on this stuff, I do think the numbers in the press releases are a better apples-to-apples comparison.
Edit 2: but yeah, your point still stands… Is a Reaper worth as much as an F-35? Beats me…
Thanks for doing the math! I’m not sure either. I guess it sort of makes sense given that they’re about the same size and the Reaper must have a crazy amount of avionics etc, but still, I thought they’d be cheaper, especially given their age.
$2.5B for 11 Reapers? Damn, those things are way more expensive than I thought. How can it cost 3x as much as an F-35?
It’s the lifetime cost of all operational and support equipment. So not just the price of a “new car”, but the cost of all maintenance, tires, oil changes, car washes, fuel, storage, insurance, all paid up-front.
Not to justify it, but contextualize it. The cost is indeed crazy.
Here’s what the official government news releases say:
$19 billion for 88 F-35s = $216 million each - source
$2.5 billion for 11 Reapers = $227 million each source
… so I don’t think you’re right.
Edit: This CBC article quotes an unnamed “senior defence official” as saying the first four F-35s we purchased cost $85 million per plane, whereas the numbers quoted in the press releases above are the all-in costs including all the “sustainment set-up and services” such as ground control centers, training, etc. So without being an expert on this stuff, I do think the numbers in the press releases are a better apples-to-apples comparison.
Edit 2: but yeah, your point still stands… Is a Reaper worth as much as an F-35? Beats me…
Thanks for doing the math! I’m not sure either. I guess it sort of makes sense given that they’re about the same size and the Reaper must have a crazy amount of avionics etc, but still, I thought they’d be cheaper, especially given their age.