Buy a small (~24) batch NOW, when the AUD is in a good position. Currency fluctuation and inflation are the cause of many procurement cost blowouts.

 

Once a buyer is secured, more are likely to follow.

Absolutely!..........bring on the third LHD and 24 B's! :)

 

Brett.

Thats pretty damn good if that truely is the cost per airframe for potential buyers.  But as always folks fixtate in teh cost per airframe as opposed to cost of operating and maintaining any given piece of hardware.  To procure the ability to operate and maintain a fleet of F35's will entail a considerably larger investment than just buying the birds themselves!!!!  Its the through life support contract that LockMart is hoping to get which will cost teh money!!!!!  There is spares, maintenance traing packages, engineer and tech support etc.  There is a whole world of other things which over the life of the airframe will cost a damn site more than the initial outlay to by the aircraft themselves!!!!

Thank god someone understands what is involved. The costs of these are established at through life and also factor in currency fluctuations.  The initial buy price no matter what the exchange rate will have significant impact on the through life cost.  It all averages out in the end.  Sure we might hit the curve when they factor in the exchange rate at "day nn" - but day nn exists and impacts for a dragonflys lifecycle of the signature - not 35 years worth of support, maint, upgrades and logistics.

 

 is Australia can they use the performance based logistics program? If so, shouldn't that also contribute to lower cost? Or is Australia planning on using traditional methods to maintain their f-35 fleet?

 

-DA