Hm... what about if the USAF goes with the F-23 instead of the -22, and the EU decides to buy the losing design? Is that even doable?
The cost of the F-22 was/is rather steep.
However, I think the major problem is the technology within the project.
I have always seen the F-22 as more of a 'technology demonstrator' rather than a viable option. I do know it is flying and doing a great job, but it still loks too much of a once-off. Like the Bugatti - it is possible to build a car with 1,000 horsepower. And now for the family car.
The technology (parts of it) can be seen in the F-35, which at least is a platform and can attract sale.
According to Wiki the fly-away costs are:
F-22: $150
Typhoon: Euro 90
F-35: $150.
HOWEVER, the final tally for F-35 is not in yet.
I believe that F-35 will be so expensive that UK will only be able to one which will alternate between the two carriers and Denmark and Norway will share one on a six-month rotating basis.
Ivan
I don't believe for a second that the MOD has had enough cash to buy 120 Raptors at any point in the last thirty years (unless they agree not to buy any other equipment at all). Especially not if we were paying into the development as well.
I believe £20bn is the total cost to the UK MOD for the entire project (ie through life costs like maintenance as well as buying the actual aircraft). Given that the same cost for a Raptor is anything up to $700m each depending which figures you believe that doesn't give the RAF anything like 120 F-22.
Nope. 20 bln. is figure just for development and initial procurement of Typhoons.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmpubacc/860/860.pdf - link to the Parliamentary report on the Typhoon project
The total cost to the UK is £37bn of which £20bn comes from the MOD. Even if the entire £37bn was available to spend (and that's not guaranteed if it's not supporting UK industry) it's still only 50-ish F-22 and leaves the RAF with just the ageing Tornado fleet available for ground attack until the F-35 enters service at some point in the next millennium and possibly not enough fighters to fulfil the UK's defence needs.
Interesting isn't it.
The F22 is the finest Jet fighter built to date and the worst managed project and worst example of protectionism that I think we will ever see in out life times.
I mean construction was spread over 48 states or some thing like that to ensure that every one in Congress could point to it with pride.
No wonder costs rocketed
This from the same nation that produced the F15 and F16!!
Ann Rand would turn in her grave - what ever happened to capitalism eh?
As for the F35 given the numbers built cost is going to be high but its the cost over lifetime of the fleet that should be looked at - leave the Cost per unit nonsense to newspapers and opposition politicians .
So what, how long it took for Typhoon to get any meaningful air-to-ground capabilities? For now, only Paveway IV and it's 10+ years in service... ( SDB for Raptor suddenly seems a pretty good deal.
Ahn how only 50-ish when the cost is about 180 mil. USD per plane, you don't think that the UK would have to pay full price of development?
What hurt the F-22 was that the order kept getting cut. That spread the development costs over fewer and fewer aircraft. Had the original full order of 750 aircraft been procured the R&D cost per aircraft would have been ~$33M, with the entirely inadequate 183 final order the R&D cost is ~$153M per aircraft. The actual cost of building the aircraft is $138M, which isn't that far out of line when compared to the cost of the F-15K (essentially the current version of the F-15E) coming in at $100M or the Typhoon at $115M (at current exchange rate Euroollar of 1:1.27).
Compared with the ever increasing cost of the F-35 $120M+ for the USAF version and climbing), the Raptor is a dead bargain. 750 F-22 vs 862 F-35 isn't even a question worth asking. The F-35 is this Generation's F/B-111, an aircraft designed to be a Swiss Army knife, when the USAF needs a Bowie Knife or a K-Bar. A Swiss Army knife is a more versatile tool, handy as all hell, but it isn't a K-Bar.