Argus Panoptes
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Well, we take lots of claims as pinches of salt.. but it has to be done with.. as they say in cricket.. "benefit of doubt to the batsman".
There may very well be such a great difference in costs.. and I fail to see the basis of your skepticism for this. After all, if there are difference in maintenance costs for something like a Honda and Suzuki.. I fail to see why that cannot be the case in an aircraft.
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Hence, the ACM may very well be right in his claim as the JF-17 might cost the PAF that amount compared to the cost of operating a F-16 in Pakistan may be greater. At the same time, the AirChief might be given figures similar to what Janes has been given. Hence, to him those 45000-50000 costs being indicative of both procurement and operating costs would be valid. Perhaps, if figures from the MMRCA evaluation on operating costs come out at some time, they might shed light better as cost for the IAF would still generally be similar in many aspects. Hence, while the pinch of salt is a mandatory intake in such statements... it is not one that should be taken because the ACM said it anyway.. it is because "costs" in accounting terms is the most variable figure on this earth.
Thank you for that informative post, which make a good backdrop for my point:
Given the inherent variability of the CPFH calculation, a potential customer for the JF-17 will do its own analysis, and the one quoted by the ACM will not be applicable. Hence, to market the JF-17 as a cheaper alternative to the established players in the market cannot be sufficient merit on its own without offering competitive capabilities as well, or even exceeding certain aspects. Certainly, any inferior aspects will also be scrutinized much more closely.