sancho
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Regarding costs!
Costs of fighters are a very complex issue, because they are different for each customer and depend on different variables, but one basic point is that the more you buy, the lower the total costs!
The US is the manufacturer country of the F16 and they paid for the R&D of it and ordered it in high numbers, but their unit cost won't include R&D again. That's why they pay only the $18 millions fly way costs now, which means for the basic fighter and engine only.
The cost that is given for Pakistan on the last pages, is the system cost! That includes the fly away cost + R&D, but also costs for spares, training and some weapons for a specific timeframe. These costs differs from country to country, depending on what kind, or what ammount of weapons and spares they buy, that's why the best price to compare fighters is the fly away cost, but often the reports talks about system costs only.
Other examples:
F18SH for US forces costs around $49 millions fly away, for export customers it is often given at $55 to 60 millions. The system cost for the US is around $90 millions now, Australia paid around $190 millions for each of their 24 Super Hornets.
South Africa bought 28 Gripen for a system cost of $53 millions each.
PAF bought 18 F16 B52 for a system cost of $77 millions each.
For Tejas that means, $30 million is the cost including R&D but Indian forces should pay less per unit and the more we, or export customers orders, the more the price can fall.
LCA MK2 will be costlier, especially if AESA is included, but then again, the Gripen NG is given with a fly away cost of $45 to 50 millions, UAEs F16 B60 between $50 to 60 millions.
So purely based on costs, LCA can compete the Gripen or F16, but as I said earlier, when LCA MK2 will be on offer for exports, both are likely to be out of production anyway and the main competitiors will be JF 17 and J10!
Costs of fighters are a very complex issue, because they are different for each customer and depend on different variables, but one basic point is that the more you buy, the lower the total costs!
The US is the manufacturer country of the F16 and they paid for the R&D of it and ordered it in high numbers, but their unit cost won't include R&D again. That's why they pay only the $18 millions fly way costs now, which means for the basic fighter and engine only.
The cost that is given for Pakistan on the last pages, is the system cost! That includes the fly away cost + R&D, but also costs for spares, training and some weapons for a specific timeframe. These costs differs from country to country, depending on what kind, or what ammount of weapons and spares they buy, that's why the best price to compare fighters is the fly away cost, but often the reports talks about system costs only.
Other examples:
F18SH for US forces costs around $49 millions fly away, for export customers it is often given at $55 to 60 millions. The system cost for the US is around $90 millions now, Australia paid around $190 millions for each of their 24 Super Hornets.
South Africa bought 28 Gripen for a system cost of $53 millions each.
PAF bought 18 F16 B52 for a system cost of $77 millions each.
For Tejas that means, $30 million is the cost including R&D but Indian forces should pay less per unit and the more we, or export customers orders, the more the price can fall.
LCA MK2 will be costlier, especially if AESA is included, but then again, the Gripen NG is given with a fly away cost of $45 to 50 millions, UAEs F16 B60 between $50 to 60 millions.
So purely based on costs, LCA can compete the Gripen or F16, but as I said earlier, when LCA MK2 will be on offer for exports, both are likely to be out of production anyway and the main competitiors will be JF 17 and J10!