The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Dirty Little Secrets
Sticker Shock for the Air Force
by James Dunnigan
May 8, 2007
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
Combat aircraft are getting more expensive, mainly because of all the new technology you can install. Thus the upgraded UH-60 Blackhawk costs $19.3 million each. This is more than the AH-64D Apache gunship ($14.1 million). Transport aircraft, in general, are getting a lot more expensive. The C-17 now costs $329 million each, and the latest version of the C-130 (C-130J) costs $98.5 million each. The new V-22 tilt-rotor transports cost $119.3 million each. A latest naval version of the Blackhawk, the MH-60R, costs $46.1 million each.
But combat aircraft are still the most expensive. The F-22 costs $355 million each. The low budget F-18E cots $94 million each, while the electronic warfare version (the F-18G) goes for $105 million. The F-35 costs $122 million. Even unmanned aircraft are pricy, with the Global Hawk costing $182 million each. Older fighters, like the F-16, cost $60 million, and an F-15E goes for about $100 million.
War is hell, especially once you get the bill.
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